Today’s quick review: The Illusionist. Eisenheim the Illusionist (Edward Norton), an accomplished stage magician, returns to Vienna after years abroad. His act catches the attention of Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell), as well as his fiance Sophie (Jessica Biel), the magician’s lost love. As Sophie and Eisenheim secretly rekindle their relationship, the Prince sets Inspector Uhl (Paul Giamatti) to investigate the mysterious man.
The Illusionist is a romantic mystery with a historical setting and a magical twist. The Illusionist features a cerebral plot, skilled acting, and a well-crafted, dramatic portrayal of its characters and time period. The movie uses Eisenheim’s illusions to good effect in both constructing its plot and establishing its sense of mystery. However, various imperfections in its mystery and romance keep it from reaching greater heights.
The Illusionist’s greatest strength is its plot. The movie sets up a clever, engaging mystery that’s tied directly to Eisenheim’s magic and the Prince’s ego. Inspector Uhl plays a central role as the man trying to decipher Eisenheim’s schemes. The mystery has a nice sense of progression and moves its pieces into place skillfully. However, it lets a few details slip too early, and it’s one twist shy of cementing itself as a truly masterful tale.
As far as acting goes, Paul Giamatti is the glue that holds the movie together. His Inspector Uhl is a nuanced character, a fundamentally honest man who is yet beholden to the prince. Rufus Sewell is an elegant complement to him as Leopold, a sharp, proud man whose outward humanity conceals a much darker side. For their part, Edward Norton and Jessica Biel do fine work individually, but their chemistry together is lacking.
The movie does have weaknesses that keep it from reaching all of its considerable potential. The mystery tips its hand a little too early. Although the viewer’s guess is not likely to be completely accurate, the film doesn’t take advantage of the suspicions it plants in the viewer’s mind. The Illusionist also mishandles its romance. The romance is central to the story, but it’s more important for the drama it inspires than the love and loss along the way.
The Illusionist also handles its magic in a way that not all viewers will appreciate. Those hoping for concrete answers will have to content themselves with conjecture: few of Eisenheim’s tricks are explained, and several defy logic completely. The Illusionist never quite makes the jump into fantasy, but it takes for granted that Eisenheim is capable of feats that the movie cannot explain. The core mystery receives answers, but the ancillary ones do not.
Give The Illusionist a shot when you’re in the mood for a well-executed, cerebral drama. The Illusionist does have a few flaws that set it back, but they are subjective in nature, and it has enough quality to be worth the watch regardless. For a magic-based mystery with a tighter, more intricate plot, check out The Prestige. For a livelier, more comedic mystery set in a similar time period, check out the Guy Ritchie version of Sherlock Holmes.
7.6 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 to 7.5 for a strong plot and cast, kept from its fullest potential by slight misplays.