Not a Trick, An Illusion

Michael: So... this is the magic trick, huh?

Gob: "Illusion," Michael. A "trick" is something a whore does for money.

Michael jerks his thumb at a group of open-mouthed children.

Gob: ... Or cocaine!

~Arrested Development

Right, so we spent Wednesday with pizza and a movie - The Illusionist. With a tagline of "Nothing is what it seems," we knew what to expect... and yet we didn't. The film drew us in quickly and kept us guessing almost to the end.

Set in turn-of-the-century Vienna, Eisenheim the Illusionist is generating a huge amount of popularity. His illusions are different than the run-of-the-mill tricks to which audiences have become accustomed, and he becomes popular after his first performance. Through flashbacks and reports from the police inspector, we learn of Eisenheim's past, and there is, of course, a woman. A long lost love torn from him because of class differences and prejudice. Heartbreak! Murder! Intrigue! Social commentary!

Throw in a jerkoff Crown prince, some twists and turns, and a surprisingly interesting storyline, and you've got a film that was captivating, interesting, and far better than I'd expected. I love it when that happens!

Edward Norton is brilliant as Eisenheim. Edward Norton is brilliant at most things, though, so that wasn't a surprise. Jessica Biel as Sophie, however? Definitely a surprise. She's nice to look at, sure, but a good actress makes the audience believe that she is her character, and it worked. The cleavage shots brought us back to reality, but that can't be helped, can it? (No more writing her off as the poor man's Jessica Alba, especially since Alba can't act.)

Paul Giamatti played the unrelenting police inspector to a tee, and Rufus Sewell was a perfect villain. I think that the mustache helped - it was perfectly evil.

The mystery was revealed in a very satisfying way - it wasn't drawn out, and the director timed the realization of the police inspector to match that of the audience. It was fun and entertaining.

(Edited 4/24/07 to change "candy" to "cocaine." What the hell kind of fan am I if I can't even get a line right from the first episode? GOD.)