The Illusionist

I saw The Illusionist a couple of nights ago. I hadn't heard of the movie, but kept seeing the poster on bus stops everywhere and it caught my eye. So after a quick look on the official site and viewing the trailer I thought it was my type of film and I wasn't disappointed.

Edward and Sophie are childhood sweethearts despite being at different ends of the social scale (he is the son of her father's carpenter). Despite being told they cannot see each other, they continue to meet in secret. Finally they are discovered together, and Sophie implores Edward who has been studying magic to make them disappear, but he can't and the two are seperated for good. He leaves and travels the world learning more about the craft of magic. Years later, Edward in the guise of Eisenheim, the Master Illusionist and Sophie who is now the Fiance of Crown Prince Leopold of Austria meet again at one of his stage shows. They resume their affair, but as they plan to run away together tragedy strikes. But all is never what it seems.


This is the best role I have seen Edward Norton in since American History X. He is outstanding as Eisenheim making him a charismatic yet human character. The support is equally as good - Paul Giametti as the dogged, flawed yet enlightened Police Inspector on his tail, and Jessica Biel suprising me with both her ability to do accents and her luminence as Sophie. Rufus Sewell plays the psychotic yet charming Leopold, an act he can probably do in his sleep by now, seeming to be one of the long list of English baddie actors in Hollywood these days.

The film is gorgeous to look at, the colours and opulence enhancing the period, and at times the photography gives the film an almost dreamlike quality which fits in well with its subject matter. Added to that the haunting score and the movie is perfection. Plus its nice to see something original on the screen and that actually makes you think and question what you've seen earlier in the movie.