The Illusionist
Set in Vienna at the turn of the century, “the Illusionist” is an entertaining and crafty film, bursting with clever and deceitful characters, with a tricky plot to follow.
At the beginning of the movie you meet the illusionist, Eisenheim( Edward Norton), right when his new show is announced to be shut down by the chief police inspector (Paul Giamatti).
The film then flashes back to tell Eisenheim’s background, where he meets an unusual man that has a few tricks up his sleeve. The man and everything then vanishes because no one knew if it actually happened. Eisenheim then was interested, he began to teach himself some tricks. Many people thought that he had special powers.
In the process of one his tricks he meets the love of his life, the duchess, Sophie (Jessica Biel). They become friends, then it gets more serious as they grow older. Sophie is above him in society so their love is not right in society. They are then separated from each other for many years. Eisenheim travels around the world to learn more about his tricks and to perform magic in public. Eisenheim does astonishing tricks, from an orange tree growing within seconds to conjuring spirits, stunning and silencing the audience.
Eisenheim is then informed that the crown prince Leopold( Rufus Sewell) would be attending his show. Crown Prince Leopold, known for his abusive behaivior, was accompanied by the one and only Sophie. The prince volunteers Sophie to be in Eisenheims act, at which he recognizes at first glance. She is slow to learn who he really was but when she finally discovers who he is, they start meeting secretly and make up for the time they lost. The prince finds out, which leads to a long and twisted plot.
Edward Norton, who plays the stiff and artful Illusionist, Eisenheim, is the best choice for this movie. Beside the fact that his accent changes frequently, Norton’s performance is memorable. He gets into his character in a subtle and yet intense way.
The story was told in the eyes of Paul Giamatti, who played the chief inspector Uhl. He was amazed and still a little suspicious of Eisenheim’s ability. Giamatti’s character was serious but very likable. Director Neil Burger obviously knew what he was doing when he cast these actors because they played into their role satisfyingly.
This film was a one of a kind because it tied in everything there should be in a movie, it contained romance, magic, drama and a twisted plot. Even though there wasn’t much dialogue, all the empty spaces were filled with extravagant music that put you in the right mood.
