Image courtesy of www.impawards.com
Director :
Neil Burger
Cast :
Edward Norton……….Eisenheim
Paul Giamatti……….Chief Inspector Uhl
Jessica Biel……….Sophie
Rufus Sewell……….Crown Prince Leopold
The Illusionist is something of an anomaly in this time of year. It’s a good film, which is a rarity considering the dearth of good movies in the theatres, but the anomaly isn’t in the film’s quality. It’s in the surprising acting performance from Jessica Biel, known more for her ability to fill out a bikini then her ability to act.
Biel stars as Sophie, a member of the upper class in turn of the century Vienna. Engaged to marry the heir to the empire, Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell), her life is thrown upside down with the arrival of Eisenheim the illusionist (Edward Norton) and his magic act. Previously childhood sweethearts, their chance encounter as adults rekindles the spark in their relationship. Caught in a love triangle, Leopold assigns Chief Inspector Uhl (Paul Giamatti) to bring Eisenheim up on charges of fraud. When a principle character winds up dead, the fingers get pointed and the plot boils a bit and winds up heating up the characters. While the finish is a bit tough to spot unless you’re looking hard, it’s a well acted and well directed film.
While good to great performances from Norton and Giamatti are to be expected based on their reputations alone, and Sewell can always be counted to be a good villain, it’s Biel who stands out the most in the cast by virtue of just doing more than being eye candy. Sophie is a conflicted woman caught between two extremes. On the one hand Leopold is someone she is supposed to marry and from her same class, socially appropriate in standing and rank. He is also the next in line for the throne, giving her the opportunity to become queen. On the other hand she has Eisenheim, her childhood love and the one she wants to spend her life with. While her torrid love affair with the magician is something she wants to continue, her pending nuptials throw a complication to the matter as being with Eisenheim will take away the sort of posh lifestyle she’s become accustomed to.
It’s a unique decision she has to make, and the plot is further complicated by the presence of Uhl. A good servant of the Prince, he has a kinship to Eisenheim that makes their interactions unique. Uhl’s the son a butcher who has been able to do more with his life, Eisenheim the son of a man in a similar position, and they have a connection on a certain level. While it’s written well, it’s a credit to the fact that Norton and Giamatti are able to bring out the subtleties of the words written for them that makes it much stronger in nature.
It doesn’t hurt that Neil Burger has great actors in front of his camera, but his writing and directing is up to par with their acting. The film does have a bit of a twist ending, if one can call it that, but it’s a well crafted one that does require one to pay close attention. Up to that point Burger has still crafted a top notch film with several twists and turns, keeping the pace deliberate enough to keep the story moving forward.
