The Illusionist (2006)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Bob S

  
  Presto... Sucko! This was weird - a pretty bad movie with a half-decent ending. Ed Norton was flat and his accent was laughable. Paul Giamatti carried this flick but... alas.

• Phil H

  
  Its funny, you don't see any films about magicians then all of a sudden two pop up in the same year, how does that work? We had the same deal with 'Dante's Peak' and 'Volcano' also 'Armageddon' and 'Deep Impact'...weird huh. Anyhow… More
  Its funny, you don't see any films about magicians then all of a sudden two pop up in the same year, how does that work? We had the same deal with 'Dante's Peak' and 'Volcano' also 'Armageddon' and 'Deep Impact'...weird huh. Anyhow this magic show is period set as is 'The Prestige' only this time we are in Vienna at the turn of the century. The plot is a mixture of a love story, a who dunnit? and magic all entwined within the rich lavish world of Austrian royalty. The film simply popped up out of nowhere and my first impression was a cheap low budget equal to 'The Prestige' which was quite a big hit, I was amazed when it turned out to be such a rewarding film. The cast are all excellent here and fit beautifully into this decadent setting, Norton, Sewell, Giamatti, Biel and Marsan, all brilliant, what more can I say. I probably enjoyed Sewell as 'Prince Leopold' the most with his unhinged delicate state, jealousy and fury in his eyes as he loses the plot. The plot is intriguing but does seem to do a 'Usual Suspects' spin towards the end, your average twist which you can sense was coming but fun to watch none the less. The film is a joy to watch simply down to the lovely work on sets, costumes, location and the magic tricks of which the main ones are assisted with cgi methinks which is a shame but still mysterious. I guess the whole film or story is suppose to be one big magic trick or illusion really, one big puff of hocus pocus as the main lead wins the day and his love in a swirling mist of deception. Visually stunning, realistic? yes, not bad a tall...I can taste the strudel, superbly well performed and very enjoyable but maybe a little simpler than it was meant to be. 

• Albert K

  
  A patient movie that rewards viewers with an interesting mix of murder, mystery, and magic all in one. It's been a while since I've seen this movie but as I could remember from it, its a completely different beast compared to "The Prestige", but yet almost as… More
  A patient movie that rewards viewers with an interesting mix of murder, mystery, and magic all in one. It's been a while since I've seen this movie but as I could remember from it, its a completely different beast compared to "The Prestige", but yet almost as entertaining.

• Lady D

  
  [Rewatch] This film gets better every time I watch it. At the time of it's release it was compared so much with The Prestige (and vice versa) that I don't feel I judged this as a film in it's own right. Norton plays slick, intelligent and mysterious and gives yet… More
  [Rewatch] This film gets better every time I watch it. At the time of it's release it was compared so much with The Prestige (and vice versa) that I don't feel I judged this as a film in it's own right. Norton plays slick, intelligent and mysterious and gives yet another solid performance, Paul Giamatti must get a mention here though, he stood out in the film and played his role to perfection. The thought and details that have gone into the plot and to then reach, (what I consider) to be one of the best non guessable twists at the end makes this film seem more powerful with every watch.

• Randy T

  
  This one was hampered by the fact that it came out about the same time as <i>The Prestige</i>, another period piece built around the troublesome world of prestidigitation. Both are entertaining but formulaic and rather forgettable.

• Emily A

  
  I would probably have been a lot more impressed by The Illusionist if I had seen it before I saw The Prestige. I had a taste for really intricately plotted fare about duelling magicians, which is a mistake to expect from this particular work: it's a love story about a magician… More
  I would probably have been a lot more impressed by The Illusionist if I had seen it before I saw The Prestige. I had a taste for really intricately plotted fare about duelling magicians, which is a mistake to expect from this particular work: it's a love story about a magician pushed to the edges of his ability by his demanding public. It's a strange and engaging story, but again, Nolan's film gave me a taste for something else, and I was a little disappointed that I didn't get it.

• Jay H

  
  One of two magic-themed films from 2006, "The Illusionist" is easily less exciting than its counterpart, Christopher Nolan's "The Prestige". Though well-acted and watchable for its length, the film is hardly interesting until its brief, semi-unexpected… More
  One of two magic-themed films from 2006, "The Illusionist" is easily less exciting than its counterpart, Christopher Nolan's "The Prestige". Though well-acted and watchable for its length, the film is hardly interesting until its brief, semi-unexpected conclusion. Relying on similar plot devices as Nolan's film, this one ultimately is the lesser of the two due its comparative lack of character depth and unengaging storyline.

• Bethany M

  
  Very clever.

• Jeff "

  
  Though Christopher Nolan's The Prestige was the big film dealing with magic in 2006, its competitor The Illusionist released the same year, is a well crafted film in the same style, but very different. Edward Norton yet again delivers an electrifying performance as illusionist… More
  Though Christopher Nolan's The Prestige was the big film dealing with magic in 2006, its competitor The Illusionist released the same year, is a well crafted film in the same style, but very different. Edward Norton yet again delivers an electrifying performance as illusionist Eisenheim. The Illusionist is a strong film with top notch performances aside from Norton. A surprisingly good performance is that of Jessica Biel as Duchess Sophie Von Teschen. She delivers the best performance of her career. The Illusionist is a strong film with a story full of twists and turns. The plot is surprising and its never what you really expect. Its really hard to compare The Illusionist with The Prestige because they're two totally different films. But The Illusionist is a totally different story than The Prestige despite the fact that it uses magic as a plot device. The story here is incredible, beautiful, mysterious and suspenseful. People have said this is predictable, but I beg to defer. I thought the story had plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing till the very end. The Illusionist is a very entertaining film with a strong cast and despite the fact its a lesser film than The Prestige, this is still a worthy film to watch and enjoy. The Illusionist is one of Edward Norton's best films and also the fact that it shows Jessica Biel giving a great performance gives her a lot more credibility as an actress. A must see film that brings on great amounts of thrills and mystery.

• Conner R

  
  2006 was blessed with two awesome magician movies, The Prestige and The Illusionist. Both have their strengths, this happens to excel at the possibility of real magic. Edward Norton gives a commanding performance in his crazy goatee and bizarre clothing, but it's really… More
  2006 was blessed with two awesome magician movies, The Prestige and The Illusionist. Both have their strengths, this happens to excel at the possibility of real magic. Edward Norton gives a commanding performance in his crazy goatee and bizarre clothing, but it's really surprising how vulnerable the character was played. It also has the go-to villain of the 00s, Rufus Sewell. Much like in Knight's Tale, he literally embodies an evil mastermind without compassion for others. I like the romantic element of this a lot. While it's all too common in stories like this to have a deceiving woman behind the scenes, this really had no problem being black and white with its characters. From the minute they appear on screen, you know exactly what each character stands for. While that might hurt some plots, it only strengthens this one.

• Ginny  

  
  Review to follow. RECOMMENDED

• Candy R

  
  Edward and Jessica's characters are star crossed lovers. A bit like Romeo and Juliet. Good story. They are friends from childhood but from different classes. Years later he returns as a successful illusionist but she is to marry the crown prince. They fake her death and he… More
  Edward and Jessica's characters are star crossed lovers. A bit like Romeo and Juliet. Good story. They are friends from childhood but from different classes. Years later he returns as a successful illusionist but she is to marry the crown prince. They fake her death and he disappears to be reunited with her.

• xGary X

  
  An illusionist meets his childhood sweetheart again while she is consort to the crown prince and they plan to elope together, but when she is murdered the grief stricken magician appears to conjure up the spirits of the dead. The first thing that strikes you about The Illusionist is… More
  An illusionist meets his childhood sweetheart again while she is consort to the crown prince and they plan to elope together, but when she is murdered the grief stricken magician appears to conjure up the spirits of the dead. The first thing that strikes you about The Illusionist is its sheer beauty; shot in a way that harks back to the silent era combined with a lush, deep palette of warm colours it is truly stunning to look at. The story itself is a very Holmesian mystery that combines a whodunnit with elements of the supernatural and attractive costumes and solid performances all round add to its elegant atmosphere. The plot tries a little too hard to be a Victorian Usual Suspects, the twist a little obvious and rather eminiscent of an M. Night Shyamalan project but I would have to say that it is rather better than anything he has done in a rather long time. Attractive to look at, intriguing and solidly written but being released when it was, it is doomed to languish in the shadow of Christopher Nolan's superior The Prestige.

• Lewis C

  
  There have been many comparisons made between The Illusionist and The Prestige, and understandably so. They were released not very far apart. They both deal with magicians, and pushing the boundaries of what is considered illusion and what is considered real. Both of them have solid… More
  There have been many comparisons made between The Illusionist and The Prestige, and understandably so. They were released not very far apart. They both deal with magicians, and pushing the boundaries of what is considered illusion and what is considered real. Both of them have solid casts (though I do wish that Liv Tyler would have kept Jessica Biel's role), captivating stories, and twisting plots. But while The Prestige is one of my very favorite movies, I only consider The Illusionist to be a good one.  The plot of The Illusionist is simple, it's basically a love story. There are some incredible moments sprinkled throughout the narrative, and a few particularly memorable parts that stand among my very favorite scenes in any movie. I almost felt a sense of wonder akin to the audience members at Eisenheim's shows. But as I said, the story is ultimately a very familiar one. It works well within the context of the movie, but compared to The Prestige, it seems almost pedestrian. The cinematography was amazing, though. I loved the vignette-type style in which the movie was shot. I have to say, that this is my favorite Edward Norton performance. He captures the mystery and almost sinister potential power of Eisenheim, perfectly. You're almost forced to believe the impossible may be possible, because of Norton's persona. No one else really rises to the heights of Norton's performance, but the other actors still play their roles reasonably well.  The Illusionist is a very good movie, and I think it would have stood out even more, if not released so close to a similar movie that I consider to be superior. The focus on a love story will probably make this even more appealing to some people, than it was to me.    

• ♥Robyn

  
  oh i loved this movie!! two words from me..CAPTIVATING AND MAGICAL!!!!!!

• ♥˩ƳИИ &

  
  Edward Norton, Jessica Biel, Paul Giamatti, Rufus Sewell DIRECTED BY: Neil Burger Set in early 20th-century Vienna, a stage magician uses his magic to win back the great love of his life from a brutal enemy, her fiance, who is also the powerful crowned prince of Austria. I am… More
  Edward Norton, Jessica Biel, Paul Giamatti, Rufus Sewell DIRECTED BY: Neil Burger Set in early 20th-century Vienna, a stage magician uses his magic to win back the great love of his life from a brutal enemy, her fiance, who is also the powerful crowned prince of Austria. I am not one for magic and that sort of thing and was hesitant in seeing this film. But I do love Norton and Giamatti, so I figured why not. Once again a film that I am glad I gave a chance. I really enjoyed the entire movie. The "magic" or should I say special effects were really good as well as the cinematography. Just a smart well done film that keeps you entertained. To most the twist was obvious, but I was pleasantly surprised with it. It's never fun knowing the outcome in the beginning. I thought the ending was great. Great performances by all. Even Jessica Biel who I am beginning to take serious as an actress. She definitely held her own in this film. To sum it all up, it was a great thriller with a great ending.

• Dead A

  
  This is awesome!

• KJ P

  
  Poor, and it seems, like it is trying to be a different style, yet still a slight rip-off of the prestige, which was a great film already!

• Khris N

  
  Well, where I thought the Prestige was an amazing tale of rivalry to the bitter end, a battle of wits, The Illusionist is a love story mixed in with deception, scandal and a time lasting romance with a twist most wouldnt see coming... I did guess it well, but it felt good seeing it… More
  Well, where I thought the Prestige was an amazing tale of rivalry to the bitter end, a battle of wits, The Illusionist is a love story mixed in with deception, scandal and a time lasting romance with a twist most wouldnt see coming... I did guess it well, but it felt good seeing it play out. <br/> <br/>Well, there isn't much difference between the Prestige and the Illusionist in terms of talent. The stars in this movie were just as good... though if I had to make a choice, Edward Norton is much more impressive than Jackman and Bale as he was born to play mysterious, dark and enticingly charismatic roles such as Eisenhiem the Illusionist. Paul Giamatti is quickly becoming one of my "stars to watch in any movie" he does really well. <br/> <br/>This move was purely an artistic love story mixed with so many elements, and of course, magic... or at times you had to ask yourself, is it really magic or just a trick? <br/> <br/>(Yes, I have an idea of how the "ghost" trick is done and once you have watched the end, it will slowly piece together.) <br/> <br/>Set in old time Vienna, this is what first got me intrigued, the setting and time and everything else was excellent. It felt at times you were really in Vienna and i sometimes wished I was in the crowd watching Eisenhiem perform, intelligent, charismatic, enigmatic and humerous, and above all... his impressive and riveting presence which I guess NO-ONE could pull of except for Edward Norton. <br/> This is a definte must see... Im not a big fan of love stories, but this is surely so much more than that. Defintley a must see and buy. <br/> <br/> <br/>Be prepared to be entertained!

• Jens S

  
  Entertaining, yet oddly calm and slow mystery thriller about a magician taking on the most powerful man in early 20th century Vienna. While the cast is great and the illusions well done, the film left me strangely untouched and I kind of expected the twist to turn out that way. At… More
  Entertaining, yet oddly calm and slow mystery thriller about a magician taking on the most powerful man in early 20th century Vienna. While the cast is great and the illusions well done, the film left me strangely untouched and I kind of expected the twist to turn out that way. At least it is delivered really well and the overall experience of watching this film is rewarding thanks to it. But the movie is nowhere near the league of the simultaneously released "Prestige". Still, worth checking out.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings