2006 Rewind: The Prestige

It's hard to believe, but 2006 was 20 years ago. Over the next few weeks I'm going to be looking at some stand out films from 2006 that are turning 20 in 2026. Today, it's a Christopher Nolan film.

Cutter: Every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts. The first part is called "The Pledge". The magician shows you something ordinary: a deck of cards, a bird or a man. He shows you this object. Perhaps he asks you to inspect it to see if it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But of course... it probably isn't. The second act is called "The Turn". The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you're looking for the secret... but you won't find it, because of course you're not really looking. You don't really want to know. You want to be fooled. But you wouldn't clap yet. Because making something disappear isn't enough; you have to bring it back. That's why every magic trick has a third act, the hardest part, the part we call "The Prestige."

The Prestige
Starring: Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, and Scarlett Johansson
Director: Christopher Nolan
About: When this film came out, Nolan was in an interesting place in his career. He'd done some powerful smaller films, but a year prior he launched his Batman films with Batman Begins. This was the follow up, bringing in many of the same actors, including Bale and Michael Caine. This is a fascinating, intricate, and layered film. I enjoyed the performances and the way it all plays out. It's a very fun film, too. Over the years, it's probably become one of Nolan's most under-rated films. If you missed it or haven't seen it in a few years, I recommend giving it a look.