The Illusionist opens on shadowy stage with magician Eisenheim (Edward Norton) in the middle of a performance. The audience is in rapt silence when a woman suddenly announces she sees something, breaking the stillness of the theater and fin de siecle Vienna. So begins Chief Inspector Uhl's (Paul Giamatti's ) investigation into Eisenheim's act, and the slow breaking down of illusions surrounding each of the characters.
Written and directed by Neil Burger and based on a short story by Pullitzer Prize-winning author Steven Millhauser, the film is a whodunit with elements of both the supernatural and the romantic. At a performance attended by Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell), the prince's fiancée Sophie von Teschen (Jessica Biel) assists Eisenheim with one of his illusions and their childhood romance is rekindled. As Eisenheim and Sophie's love affair escalates, Leopold has Uhl look into Eisenheim's act in hopes of uncovering his tricks of the trade. As Leopold and Uhl's pursuit of his secrets reaches critical mass, Eisenheim prepares his most potent illusion yet, one that will put them from their search for good.
Although, as the title suggests, the film is about breaking down illusions and rejecting face value, Burger does an excellent job of making the obvious and not-so-obvious magic tricks in the movie seem real. Does Eisenheim really have otherworldly powers or just a talent for crafting effective illusions? You'll be kept guessing until the final credits roll. Even after Eisenheim's greatest illusion is explained, the audience never comes close enough to spoil the mystery and discover the source of his talent (supernatural or otherwise). Eisenheim and Sophie's childhood romance isn't nearly as powerfully believable as some of the magic tricks, it tests how much we trust what we see resulting in a film that is a visual delight as well as an satisfying period drama.
—Jared Shimizu
