2006, Yari Film Group, Dir. Neil Burger - Starring Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel, Rufus Sewell, Eddie Marsan, Erich Redman, Tom Fisher, Brian Caspe, James Babson, Ellen Savaria, Jake Wood, Matthew Blood-Smyth, Aaron Johnson, Eleanor Tomlinson

“Maybe there’s truth in this illusion,” says Inspector Walter Uhl, in Neil Burger’s Illusionist. And what a fantastic illusion this is - not one that leaves an audience feeling cheated, but enlightened at its finish. Behind the curtain, it’s quite a simple story, but director Burger makes the most out of his star-studded cast and adapted script. Filmed in rotochrome color of fainted sepias, Illusionist is a unique period piece, but has the mind of a New Age thriller. I watched the trailer shortly before arriving at the premiere, and never would I have realized what an intimate and entertaining movie I was walking into. Based off the short story of Pultizer Prize winner Steven Millhauser, the story examines some magical characters - all with different motives, and one grand finale. I can assure all uncertain audience members out there - the last thing you will be is bored. Burger’s exercise with the realms of realism and fantasy is a different one in comparison with his debut Interview with the Assassin, as he retconed any government explanations about the JFK assassination. Here is a fashionable - and professional - follow-up, which is sure to send chills up all moviegoers’ backs.

Our story begins with a young man named Edward (Johnson), who became skilled in the dark arts after a chance encounter with a vagrant magician. Edward fell in love with the young Sophie (Tomlinson), but their economical differences (upbringings, moreover), left them pulled apart from one another. Edward went on to travel the world, learning more about magic until he could become a master. This is where we meet Edward in the early 1900s, who goes under the moniker Eisenheim (Norton), and is to perform a promising magic show for the city of Vienna. The fantastic show captures the eyes of the town, and especially the eye of Walter Uhl (Giamatti), the city’s police inspector. Uhl works diligently under the iron fist of the Crown Prince Leopold (Sewell), who has decided to attend Eisenheim’s show on Uhl’s request. The tricks of the young magician are not ordinary parlor tricks, but tend to cross the lines of life and death. Leopold brings his abused lover to the show, who Eisenheim recognizes as an aged Sophie (Biel). The two begin to cavort, much to Leopold’s dismay. But Leopold is to overthrow his father soon from the throne, and Uhl has been offered as a chief minister to the future king - so both furiously work against Eisenheim, to halt his influence on the town and on Sophie. Little do they know, Eisenheim always carries a few cards up his sleeve…

Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti counteract flawlessly, creating polar opposites for one another and fueling the film’s tension. Norton returns to the screen with flair, carrying out the role of Eisenheim with a determined stare and a macabre style. There’s something different about this magician, as Norton’s character sulks the streets of Vienna like a nightlight shadow, emanating a brooding sense of genius. You’d think he’s Aleister Crowley reincarnated, but you side with him anyway. The audience knows he’s smart and innocent, so we stick by him, no matter how bizarre his act may be. Paul Giamatti shines again with the sly yet bumbling Inspector Uhl. His character leaves the remnants of worthy comic relief for The Illusionist, but they are necessary and very funny. Uhl is everything Eisenheim is not - clumsy, narrow-minded, and selfish. But he is a well-spoken gentleman, despite not being as clever as his opponent. Regardless of his selfish behavior, Uhl is beyond tame when it comes to the ferocious Prince Leopold. Rufus Sewell gives the character that appropriate swagger, one associated with a drunken fool and a reckless Roman emperor. Jessica Biel works fine as the love interest Sophie, towering her past performances with a sense of caution and pride.

The Illusionist is far from an epic piece, but it never hides this fact. Filmed in Prague with a love for late Rococo architecture, director Burger embraces its style along with the story. There is great periodic detail, especially for theater buffs to take note upon. The theater proves to be more important than one would imagine. Since much action takes place during the sly magician’s performances, the working space has transformed into something claustrophobic and haunting. Purchasing a ticket for an evening show is akin to walking out of reality and into imagination. Burger has a ball with the moviegoers’ minds - as I felt duped and puzzled by Eisenheim and his secret quarters. And since a good magician never reveals his secrets, so does the director - everything we know will soon manifest. Even the sparse CGI effects are a marvel to watch, as Norton shadows the audience with his stunts. Needless to say, this is the movie that I’ve been waiting for a long time - an original piece, driven solely by its story and characters, rather than a hefty budget and a negotiated cast.

When the curtain rises, you’re sure to not be disappointed with Eisenheim’s greatest trick. This is the summer spectacle you may not want to miss, especially for fans of Norton and Giamatti. Don’t be fooled by the advertisements - The Illusionist is one helluva show.