Dir. Neil Burger
Starring Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel, Rufus Sewell
Writer-Director Neil Burger's The Illusionist is a film made with remarkable skill. The technical aspects are all first-rate and the idea is intriguing enough to draw initial interest. He's cast two of the finest actors working today in Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti. Unfortunately, The Illusionist never comes together as a completely entertaining story. Despite all of the considerable strengths, the film fails with several poor choices in storytelling structure and a serious error in casting.
The Illusionist follows the story of Eisenheim (Edward Norton), a magician from a lower class standing who is in love with his childhood sweetheart Sophie (Jessica Biel). They are forbidden to see one another because of the disparities in their families social standing. Much later when Eisenheim begins making the rounds in Vienna as a renowned performer, he runs into Sophie again, who is now a Duchess and destined to marry the Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell). Eisenheim begins using his abilities to try and win Sophie’s heart, but faces trouble from Chief Inspector Uhl (Paul Giamatti), who closely watches his actions.
The first mistake made by Neil Burger is choosing to tell the story with a framing device. The film begins with Uhl arresting Eisenheim and then explaining to the Prince what happened. As he tells the story to the Prince, we flash back and witness Eisenheim's childhood and all the events that led up to the arrest. The problem with this is that Uhl is not privy to many of the events that we see throughout the film. Certainly, it's possible that Burger is just switching perspective on such moments and filling in the gaps, but his ability to do this is all the more reason why the framing device was unnecessary.
The decision to focus on the romance is extremely problematic because of the serious mistake in casting Jessica Biel. As played by Biel, Sophie is a blank slate and not worth all the fuss Eisenheim creates over her. This is partially a problem with the writing, as they never fully flesh out the character or give her enough wit to make us think that she's more than just a pretty face. However, Biel can't walk away unscathed. Her flat line delivery at almost every point destroys many of the film's most interesting scenes.
The scenes that really sparkle are the ones involving Eisenheim and Uhl. The characters are so interesting and played by such exceptionally talented actors that Burger is inspired to take things a step deeper than he is at other spots in the film. There is a splendid little moment where Uhl gives Eisenheim a warning while at the same time subtly hinting that he understands more than expected. Unfortunately, there aren't nearly enough of these scenes as Burger wastes time with the weak romance at the center.
Unfortunately, the film wastes some great technical work. Burger is a gifted technical director, and knows how to stage scenes with precision. The effects are top notch, perfectly finding a balance between being captivating and refusing to be too showy. Cinematographer Dick Pope does a good job capturing the dark and mysterious world of magic, but the dreamy glare he provides for the ending is a serious error. The legendary Phillip Glass provides a terrific score, which wonderfully captures the essence of intrigue and deception in Eisenheim’s illusions. All of this makes the film far more bearable than it would have been otherwise.
As the film approaches the ending, it becomes clear that Burger thinks he's extremely clever. Eisenheim is handed a clue, and there is a flashback to several scenes from earlier in the film as he begins to figure things out. This is Burger's way of showing the audience how he pulled off such an amazing trick. The problem is that Burger tipped his hand with the nature of the events that take place in the 3rd act. What could have been a nice surprise turns out to be another series of pedestrian events leading to a decidedly hollow conclusion.
Grade: C+
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