The Illusionist review

 Number 657 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 2006 romantic mystery film 'The Illusionist.'

Set in turn-of-the-century Vienna, Eisenhelm (Edward Norton) is a well-renowned magician and illusionist who was separated from his love Sophie (Jessica Biel) when they were only teenagers. Now adults, he discovers she is betrothed to Crown-prince Leopold, (Rufus Sewell) heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. He starts plotting to win her back all while he is being pursued by Leopold's chief of police Walter Uhl (Paul Giamatti.)

For a romance film, I thought the romance element was surprisingly weak. Even as teenagers, I don't think Eisenhelm and Sophie had much chemistry. And this was only exemplified when the two grew up. There was a severe lack of chemistry between Norton and Biel. I didn't really believe either of them being together. And considering the film is a romance, that was a major problem. Their performances weren't convincing at all. It was boring to watch. Thankfully, the film didn't linger on the tepid romance.

Instead, it focussed on the cat-and-mouse game between Leopold and Eisenhelm. This was far more interesting. When Leopold hears of Eisenhelm's prowess, he invites him to perform at the royal palace. But when Eisenhelm discovers that the animalistic Leopold is betrothed to Sophie, the illusionist humiliates the crown prince in front of all his peers. This kicks us off a bitter rivalry between the two, as Eisenhelm and Sophie plot to leave the country.

Sewell was convincing as the spoiled, petulant prince who was always determined to have his way. He was a dangerous villain and the perfect foil to Eisenhelm's outspoken arrogance. But I think the best actor was Paul Giamatti in the supporting role of Chief Inspector Walter Uhl. Initially, starting out as an unwitting pawn of Leopold's plans, he finds himself questioning everything as Leopold becomes increasingly more unstable. Giamatti played this fine balancing act with finesse.

Also despite being about magic, I wasn't convinced about any of the magic tricks shown within the film. Compared to other films like the Prestige, the magic wasn't very impressive at all. It certainly wasn't what I would expect from a well-renowned illusionist like Eisenhelm.

Overall, while it had some good performances, the Illusionist was a largely uneven watch with an extremely weak romance. And considering the film IS a romance, that isn't the best.