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The Prestige

Play trailer 2:26 Poster for The Prestige PG-13 2006 2h 10m Drama Fantasy Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
77% Tomatometer 209 Reviews 92% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
An illusion gone horribly wrong pits two 19th-century magicians, Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) and Rupert Angier (Hugh Jackman), against each other in a bitter battle for supremacy. Terrible consequences loom when the pair escalate their feud, each seeking not just to outwit -- but to destroy -- the other man.
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The Prestige

The Prestige

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Critics Consensus

Full of twists and turns, The Prestige is a dazzling period piece that never stops challenging the audience.

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Critics Reviews

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Graham Fuller Sight & Sound 11/02/2018
Although the film's stunning reveals make the audience realise it has been duped... there is a protagonist to empathise with each time. Go to Full Review
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 09/07/2007
3/4
It's quite a movie -- atmospheric, obsessive, almost satanic. Go to Full Review
Brian Tallerico UGO 03/24/2007
An example of old-fashioned storytelling, the kind of magical movie that could have been made fifty years ago and, consequently, will still be watched fifty years from now. Go to Full Review
Andrew Wyatt The Take-Up 6d
20 years later, 'The Prestige' rises from the pack as Christopher Nolan's "early period" masterwork: a lush and exhilarating depiction of dueling worldviews, shared obsessions, and the emergent challenges and horrors of our godless, technocratic world. Go to Full Review
Nick Rogers Midwest Film Journal Jul 13
2.5/5
An impressively bespoke pitch deck for 20 years of Christopher Nolan's filmmaking philosophies but still just a pitch deck all the same — with a voila reveal no less embarrassing than that of a Gob Bluth illusion. Go to Full Review
Gissane Sophia Lady Geeks Media Jul 6
4/5
Visually, The Prestige is among one of the most gorgeous films in Nolan’s filmography, and a tremendous showcase of how much he packs into a single frame. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Paul L @HonestReview12740 1d Very good twist. Had to watch the ending three times because it was so good. See more DJ S. @djsims 1d ★★★★★ The Prestige isn’t just Christopher Nolan’s best film. It may be the only movie ever made that demands an immediate second viewing. The first watch is the magic trick. The second is learning how the magician fooled you while never actually lying. Every line, every glance, every edit, and every detail was there from the beginning, hidden in plain sight. The ending doesn’t just surprise you. It transforms everything that came before it and rewrites your memory of the entire film. Like the greatest illusions, it becomes even more astonishing once you know how it was done. Nolan has directed bigger, louder, and more ambitious films. He has never directed a better one. Are you watching closely? See more Dani G @RT81139271 1d Maybe the most underrated of Nolan's films; lost between two of Batman's See more Josh G @Parsifal83 1d Smaller in scale than many of Christopher Nolan's later films, yet among his very best. Every narrative turn ultimately serves a deeply human story about obsession and the cost of defining yourself through a single consuming purpose. It has a memorable twist, but the emotional and psychological journey is what makes it truly great. See more Poptart S @drgpoptart 4d What a gripping movie@ This head-spinning battle of rival magicians is captivating and creative, with an overall theme that has you wondering how it can be both so obvious and yet so impossible to predict until you see it. One of Nolan's best works and a clear example of why his subsequent successes shouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone. See more Jace E @thefilmguy 5d How this movie made me feel in one word: Staggered The Prestige might have my favorite twist/reveal in modern cinema. The back and forth between Jackman and Bale is tense, the acting is superb and the storytelling is immersive. I remember watching this film a decade ago and loving the finale. In the time that passed since then, I had forgotten the details of the twist. I was just as surprised and elated as the first time. As is true with most Nolan films, I'm ready to go back and watch it again to discover the clues hidden throughout. Best Character: Alfred Best Quote: "Are you watching closely?" - Borden Best Scene: The actual prestige of the movie Best Piece of Score: "The Price Of A Good Trick" Note: The true hero of the story won in the end. See more Read all reviews
The Prestige

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Movie Info

Synopsis An illusion gone horribly wrong pits two 19th-century magicians, Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) and Rupert Angier (Hugh Jackman), against each other in a bitter battle for supremacy. Terrible consequences loom when the pair escalate their feud, each seeking not just to outwit -- but to destroy -- the other man.
Director
Christopher Nolan
Producer
Aaron Ryder, Emma Thomas
Screenwriter
Jonathan Nolan
Distributor
Buena Vista
Production Co
Newmarket Productions
Rating
PG-13 (Violence|Disturbing Images)
Genre
Drama, Fantasy, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 20, 2006, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 23, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$53.1M
Runtime
2h 10m
Sound Mix
Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)