Short Film Reviews

Brief Synopsis: Two rival magicans go head to head to find the ultimate magic trick which leads to fairly disasterous consequences.

Comments: Frankly the poster looks terrible. The synopsis doesn't sound remotely thrilling. But the film is certainly worth watching because the two lead characters are pretty enthralling. The director, Christian Nolan, does a magnificant job of building up the suspense and even though the timeline jumps back and forth, you are never confused about where you are in the film. Mr. Jackman and Mr. Bale's characters descend into revenge and madness in their attempts to outdo each other and without telling you the whole plot, it isn't done in a mad nor distasteful manner but in a serious manner with which you can sympathise. Michael Caine, as ever, does a very reliable job as an assistant and in a way links the characters together with his worldly wisdom.

It's difficult to write much about the film without giving much away but ignore the poster and watch it because it is worth your time. It's much better than your average Hollywood blockbuster where you can already make a standard guess at the plot and the ending - and usually end up right! You'll never guess the ending of this one...