The Prestige

Christopher Nolan is one of the most feted filmmakers in the world and for good reason. He blends the cerebral with the spectacular in fine fashion, creating blockbusters with brains and creating compelling characters – a rarity in a world where tent-pole summer releases rely on relentless action rather than any sense of plot of character development. Yet somehow, The Prestige has become Nolan’s forgotten film. An amazing cast and intricate plot proved spectacularly successful for Inception, but here the presence of Bale, Jackman, Caine (and even David Bowie) did not have nearly the same impact.

Perhaps this can be attributed to the Victorian setting: in all regards this is an old fashioned film. There is little CGI, with the film relying on traditional mechanical effects where possible (an approach Nolan continues to employ) and the art of storytelling to create its impact. Even the performances (particularly Hugh Jackman’s vaudevillian) are pleasingly old school.

Based on the novel by Christopher Priest, The Prestige tells the tale of two stage magicians: American showman Angier (Jackman) and his working class rival Borden (Christian Bale). Their enmity is born of a tragic stage accident which sees Angier’s wife perish on stage and is fuelled by a dangerous sense of one-upmanship. The desperate desire to outdo one another becomes centred on a stunningly simplistic trick: The Transported Man.

Michael Caine’s charming explanation of the three part magic trick - the pledge (the set-up), the turn (the twist) and the prestige (the unbelievable finale) – opens the film, playing over the thrilling denouement of The Transported Man and the conclusion of the film itself. What follows is an explanation of how we came to this point in a multi-layered narrative which moves backwards and forwards in time and across countries.

Of course, the real intrigue in the film is in the magic. The mechanics of the craft are discussed and revealed, the science explored and debated. But above all else the audience is reminded that this is all a trick. From the outset Nolan asks his audience, “Are you watching closely?” – suggesting that there is a deception lurking beneath the surface sheen of his film. And as an observer you know you are about to be fooled – but how?

It’s a daringly devious trick from Nolan which, if discovered partway through the tale might ruin its telling. But having failed to spot it the first time, a second viewing serves only to confirm just how audacious the sleight of hand really is. Subtle it ain’t, but like all the best magic tricks the art is not in the trick itself, but in the misdirection which disguises it.

Perhaps the film’s (relative) lack of success can be attributed to the unsympathetic characters – neither Angier nor Borden are particularly likeable. Perhaps the twist which sees magic become science (courtesy of Bowie’s Nikola Tesla) was too hard to swallow. But for sheer showmanship, The Prestige is a film which deserves to be seen. And then seen again – so you can work out what you’ve just seen!

THE IMDB Top 50 CHALLENGE #10 The Dark Knight

Despite the high regard in which it is held, The Dark Knight is a flawed film. There are too many characters with too many faces, it’s far too long and the not-quite-climactic boat scene is just an undercooked philosophical exercise on screen. But there is one thing which all fans, fanboys and film critics agree on: Heath Ledger is magnificent as the Joker.

Whilst the film was still shooting, Ledger outlined his vision for the character as a "psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy.” What couldn’t have been anticipated was that, six month’s after his death, Ledger’s Joker would become one of the most memorable and iconic screen villains of all time.

Director Christopher Nolan allowed Ledger huge creative freedom in bringing the Joker to life, leading to the Australian actor locking himself away in a London hotel for a month to experiment with different voices and tics – a process which Ledger says led him into ‘the realm of the psychopath’. Sadly, art imitated life when Ledger passed away in his room following a cocktail of prescription drugs taken in an apparent attempt to quiet the voices which stopped him sleeping.

The tragedy which took the young actor’s life only solidified people’s support and affection for him, with expectations of the movie high following Batman Begins and Nolan’s superb viral marketing campaign: often featuring tantalising glimpses of Ledger’s Joker. The combination of these factors and the expectant fervour which greets any superhero film combined to create a level of anticipation barely seen before.  And from the very moment he appears on screen, the Joker does not disappoint: the character is a carefully crafted and calibrated ‘agent of chaos’. From his appearance to his mannerisms, from his speech to his costume, everything about the Joker combines brilliantly to create an utterly unhinged villain capable of absolutely anything. 

Rather than the comic caricature previously offered up, this Joker has a far more chilling appearance thanks to make-up inspired by Francis Bacon and A Clockwork Orange. Framed by greasy green hair which looks like the result of a botched dye job, the smeared, tear stained pan stick and dark eyes are off-set by a smudge of rouge around the Joker’s misshapen, scarred mouth. It’s a look which degrades as the film goes on, allowing the Joker’s circumstances and environment to be reflected on his face: a marked improvement on Jack Nicholson’s perma-grin.

Physically, too, Ledger is magnificent. Simultaneously skittish and purposeful, menacing and humorous, he lurches, skips and slides across the screen wonderfully, improvising wonderful examples of business (his famously unscripted reaction to the hospital bombing is a fine example), always aware of his audience – and on the verge of erupting into uncontained violence.

Most remarkable of all is the Joker’s voice. It’s a vocal tour-de-force from Ledger: swerving in pitch and tone, moving between a breathy sing-song to a baritone snarl with alarming ease. At times playful, but always with a hint of menace, Ledger even manages to turn his physical scarring into a wetly reptilian quality – thanks largely to his lizard like tongue. His laugh, too, is a unique creation which begins as a gurgle in the back of his throat before erupting in a high pitched squeal of fearsome delight. Whenever possible, Nolan left Ledger’s voice unaltered in the sound mix, unwilling to risk damaging or altering Ledger’s unique and inimitable performance – a performance which words simply cannot do justice and which will, rightly, be what this remarkably gifted young actor will be most fondly remembered for.

The Dark Knight Rises

Ever since Tim Burton’s Batman, the world has waited for the truly definitive Dark Knight film. We’ve been treated to an assortment of Caped Crusaders, some truly memorable villains – and Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr Freeze. Now, in the final instalment of his current incarnation, we have finally seen the real Batman.

Taking the best elements of the first two of his trilogy, Christopher Nolan has thrown in the best of Inception, ratcheted the whole lot up to eleven and created the greatest superhero movie of all time – a genre defining, game changing which realises every one of its director’s ambitious artistic visions.

Beginning eight years after the death of Harvey Dent and Batman’s self-sacrifice, the story resumes with Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) a broken man – in body and spirit. Barely able to walk, holed up in his house like a latter day Howard Hughes, Wayne has retreated from public life as Gotham enjoys an unparalleled period of peace under the watchful of Commissioner James Gordon (Gary Oldman) Inevitably, however, a series of events conspire to tempt the Dark Knight to emerge from the shadows in a battle to save the city from complete destruction at the hands of his fiercest nemesis yet: the brutal Bane (a masked Tom Hardy).

To say much more would be to spoil the plot of one of history’s most eagerly anticipated films. Certainly my own enjoyment was tempered somewhat by a spoiler heavy review in The Guardian which led me to a media blackout prior to seeing the movie. I’ll not fall into that trap here.

What i can say is that Nolan has created a truly original superhero story with genuine gravitas and emotional heft. From the very outset the film tugs at the heartstrings as Wayne toys with the idea of donning the body armour again, only for loyal butler Alfred (a scene stealing show from Sir Michael Caine) to plead with him not to. It’s an emotional moment born of Nolan’s fastidious creation of a full and engaging back-story for his central protagonist – this is not a money spinning threequel but the conclusive part of what was always meant to be a trilogy.

The supporting cast are uniformly excellent. Anne Hathaway is magnificent as the sleekly sexy Selina Kyle, a cat burglar par excellence, who always seems likely to figure significantly in the plot. Joseph Gordon Levitt adds steely determination as idealist cop Blake and Marion Cotillard lends a frisson of sexual tension to every scene she appears in.

Critics have been quick to slam Tom Hardy’s Bane, but that’s merely because he is not Heath Ledger. Nobody is and comparisons are unfair. Instead, he offers something the Joker did not: muscularity. He’s an immoveable force and Hardy bulked up hugely for the role. His sheer physicality poses Batman a problem he’s not yet dealt with – he cannot outfight or outmuscle his opponent. And this is a film in which Batman is severely physically punished – at times it’s painful to watch his body being battered and bloodied.

Perhaps the first time in Nolan’s trilogy, Batman and Bruce Wayne see their boundaries blurred. Often Batman is seen without his mask, the secret of his identity begin to slip and their fallibilities merge as one. Offering such a human touch to the superhero pays off in spades in the film’s climactic scene and is the key reason why Batman is a character worth rooting for: he is just a man.

Of course, The Dark Knight Rises is not just a drama – it’s a rip-snorting action adventure filled with Nolan’s trademark CGI-eschewing set-pieces, enormous battles and wry plot twists and surprises. Every single element of this film is superior to anything else the genre has ever produced. The world will wait with bated breath for the amazing Christopher Nolan to announce his next move.