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The Illusionist

The Illusionist

Overall, this is a solid and intriguing movie to watch. My friends and I watched a late night show at 10:20pm on Saturday, and from the beginning to end I was fascinated by the storyline despite of the late hour. The movie is based on the short story written by Pulitzer Prize winner Steven Millhauser, Eisenheim the Illusionist. I never read the original story, but the film did a great job to portrait the mysterious illusionist who performed dark and sometimes disturbing illusions.

The acting of Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti are impeccable. It seems no matter what characters they choose to act they can always successfully convince the audience that they are the characters. Norton, with his subtle facial expressions, convinced me at least that he is that illusionist who defies space and time. Paul Giamatti is equally brilliant in his role as the police chief of Vienna, the man who found himself baffled by the tricks of Eisenheim.

Personally, I enjoyed the movie, even though the ending is a bit of over-simplified. However, considering the writer/director Neil Burger is a newbie, this is an impressive first effort. Now, after watching this movie about a magician, I am even more eager about the upcoming movie The Prestige.

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