“The Illusionist” (Yari Film Group)
Nothing Is Real Except the Acting
In some movies the cast of talented actors are so totally into their characters that the flaws in the story can be overlooked. Such is the case with “The Illusionist”; a tale of love, hate and revenge. Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Rufus Sewell and Jessica Biehl head the cast and all are in top form – especially Giamatti.
The film is set in Austria in the early 1900’s. An illusionist by the name of Eisenheim (Norton) is making a name for himself with his amazing feats of magic. He is so good that the Crown Prince of Austria (Sewell) deigns to come to one of his performances. He is amazed at what he sees and demands to know the secrets behind Eisenheim’s “tricks.”
Eisenheim avoids giving away his secrets and this so enrages the Prince that he demands that his Chief Inspector (Giamatti) shut him down. Uhl, the Inspector, does this reluctantly. He is actually fascinated by Eisenheim and doesn’t wish him any harm.
Caught between the magician and the Prince is Sophie (Biehl), the fiance’ of the prince and the childhood friend of Eisenheim. The Prince is known to be physically abusive to the women in his life and Eisenheim fears Sophie will suffer an unkind fate. He decides to try to save her and this brings him into direct conflict with the Prince.
The story is filmed in low-lit light with sepia colors permeating every frame. This makes old Austria appear valid but it is distracting to most everything else. The movie is slow paced and takes its time to make its points. The magic in the film is impressive from a story point of view but since anything can be done in the movies these days it doesn’t seem as grand as it should.
Norton is quite good as Eisenheim. He has the focused eyes of a man with magic on his mind. He is convincing when performing his tricks and also when he is vowing love to Sophie. Sewell is adequately deranged as the Prince, and makes him a roaring maniac when it comes to hating Eisenheim. Biehl is a surprise as Sophie. She actually holds her own with these immensely talented actors.
It is Giamatti who makes the biggest impression. He can take the smallest role or a large one and still make it an intimate acting exercise. Every word, every turn, every gesture is perfect. He is amazing and creates the illusion that he is just living the part.
The film is rated PG-13 for mild profanity and violence.
The plot of “The Illusionist” is not compelling. It seems lightweight for all the heavy acting it employs. Still the movie is worth seeing for the acting, especially Giamatti’s. He is the master of his craft and that is no illusion.
I scored “The Illusionist” a tricky 6 out of 10.
