The Prestige

A closer look at the story

In London at the end of the nineteenth century, Robert Angier and Alfred Borden are two gifted stage magicians. A tragic accident turns them into enemies, and from then on their rivalry becomes a battle that will last a lifetime. Each becomes obsessed with uncovering the secret behind the other's signature illusion, and neither recognises any limit in the effort to outdo his rival before an audience. Built on jealousy, deception and ambition, the contest turns into an obsession with irreversible and lethal consequences for both of them. Christopher Nolan directs a script he wrote with Jonathan Nolan from Christopher Priest's novel; the 130-minute 2006 film stars Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine and Rebecca Hall in a mystery drama.