The Illusionist
Starring: Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel, Rufus Sewell
Director: Neil Burger
The film: A chat with magician David Blaine apparently got writer/director Neil Burger (Interview With the Assassin) thinking about the history of the dark arts and how the masters of the secret world can be taken to heart by their audience. Burger then set about casting his own spell, taking a short story by Pulitzer prize-winning author Steven Millhauser and padding it out with a few elements he thought necessary to make a feature film.
Unfortunately, it's one of those elements that stops The Illusionist from being one of the more outstanding films of the past 12 months. Burger introduces a romantic interest for the magician at the centre of the tale, and the fact that no sparks fly between Jessica Biel and Edward Norton detracts from the mystery at the film's heart. You can understand why the director did it, but the passion that would make it all believable is lacking.
Norton plays a magician who holds the city of Vienna in the palm of his hand when he appears seemingly from nowhere and appears to be able to do things no man has done, nor can explain. His work brings him to the attention of the crown prince (Rufus Sewell) and his lover (Biel), with whom the magician has some history. When tragedy strikes, the magician's work takes on a whole new meaning, questioning those in power and threatening their hold on the city.