Movies

The first thing that wows me about this film is it's cinematography.I admire how it is given a silent movie style dressing up because of the time period in which it is set,yet has modern day elements that you would have never seen in a silent film.Secondly,it is a well told love story about a magician with truly unbelievable powers,who uses those unbelievable powers to gain what is seemingly unreachable to him because of his status in life:the woman he believes to be his soul mate.Edward Norton is remarkable as the title character,while Paul Giamatti gives a performance that further enhances his maturity as an actor.The biggest surprise here is Jessica Biel,who is not someone you would picture in this role,yet she shows amazing potential and shines very brightly.Highly recommended.

I loved this movie. It's just that simple. I've seen it several times and the charm never wears off. Yes, it ultimately is a 'feel good movie', but is that so wrong? It keeps you mesmerized until the very last scene. This film is destined to be a classic.As I read some of the other comments about this movie on IMDb, I realize that cynicism can easily get in the way of just enjoying a movie for what it is. This is a magnificent film! Edward Norton and Paul Giametti are terrific and so is the rest of the cast. The cinematography was stunning. The script was superb. The direction was outstanding. I really can't say anything bad about this film. I thoroughly recommend this movie! I could give it no less than a 10.

It's late 19th century Vienna. Chief Inspector Walter Uhl (Paul Giamatti) is arresting illusionist Eisenheim (Edward Norton) for Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell). Uhl recounts Eisenheim's life story to the Prince. Young poor Eisenheim was in love with high born Duchess Sophie but they were separated by force. He wanders the world learning illusions and returns to find Sophie (Jessica Biel) engaged to arrogant Prince Leopold. The prince dislikes Eisenheim and is also scheming to overthrow his father, King Leopold of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.The film looks beautiful with great looking sets. The acting is generally good. Giamatti is playing a conflicted character. Biel is better than her usual self. Norton is a compelling lead. Sewell is suitably villainy. I like this film although I would like a bit more intensity. There is mostly a brooding tension. Also the final twist is not surprising but it is fitting.