Illusionist (English, 2006)

Illusionist is the second big film coming this year with the protagonists being magicians, the other one being Prestige. Both are wonderful films, having some wonderful performances. But that is where the similarity ends. While the subject that Prestige deals with is competitiveness, Illusionist is a romantic film. It is one of that rare breed of romantic films where "love" is the basis of the plot rather than a cliched word being shouted infinite times.

Illusionist is the story of Eisenheim (Edward Norton), a poor peasant boy interested in magic, in love with his childhood sweetheart, Sophie (Jessica Biel). After roaming about the world learning magic, Eisenheim returns to find that Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell) intends to marry Sophie. Eisenheim's growing popularity as a magician puts him at odds with Prince Leopold, who instructs Inspector Uhl (Paul Giamatti) to destroy Eisenheim. Eisenheim, however, has tricks up his sleeve and there starts a battle between Eisenheim's love and magic and Prince Leopold's power.

Illusionist comes with a very tight storyline with enough twists and surprises and quite a few wonderful magical tricks. While that is winner enough, where the movie really succeeds is the brilliantly understated performance by Edward Norton. He portrays a love which is not ruffled by his own popularity or the threat of the prince or the heat of a high-powered struggle.

Recommendation - Must see.
Rating - ✔✔✔✔