The Illusionist

Viewer Rating:Elaine Hynes has rated The Illusionist rating: 1.5 Star

 We are introduced to Eisenheim(Norton),the illusionist,a practitioner of magic as he practices his own brand of supernatural sorcery,enthralling the people of Vienna,including Crown Prince Leopold,who is equally enthralled and abhored.He embarks upon denouncing the great Eisenheim publicly but falls foul of his own plan by offering his fiance Sophie (Biel) to the magician in a bid to sabotage his act before an audience. This,however proves to be his undoing as Sophie and Eisenheim are not strangers to each other and they begin to rekindle a long lost romance.Chief Inspector Ull,(Giamatti) is drawn into the plot when the Prince,on hearing of their deception,orders him to charge Eisenheim with fraud.What follows is a tale of love and intrigue,tightly bound by the power of illusion.The illusionist is a well told story with clever use of imagery which consumes the viewer.The acting is of high quality with particularly strong performances from Norton and Giammati.This movie captures the imagination.

Review published on the 30 June 2007 14:24