Christopher Nolan’s Twisted Thriller Gets Better With Every Rewatch, Fans Say

Being recognized as the titan of the cinema industry, Christopher Nolan made his name known all around the world with his sci-fi masterpieces Inception ( 2010), Interstellar ( 2014) and, undoubtedly, with his epic box office killer Oppenheimer ( 2023).

After the director stepped into mainstream cinema with Batman Begins (2005), he made a thriller that still blows every cinephil’s mind. Even though it was released 18 years ago, it not only holds up today, but is considered to be the trickiest movie ever made.

Set in the 1890s, this 2016 film starts by introducing us to Alfred and Rupert, rival magicians who try to conquer London’s stage, as they’re both striving to create a perfect teleportation illusion. Their battle for supremacy goes too far, as they’re going not only to outperform, but to eventually destroy each other.

The tricks, rivalry and mystery are constantly engaging here, even though this thriller is rich in Nolan’s typical time jumps and intricate narration. You can still follow the story and try to guess what’s going to be next, but all these attempts will probably fail.

Based on the 1995 novel by Christopher Priest, the movie offers you a magic trick of a final twist. Of course, you can find some hints of the ending, but be sure it ends up bigger than you think, as Nolan prepares some real cinema magic for the audience.

Apart from the twists and tense drama, this thriller does a pretty good job demonstrating illusions and immersing us into the magicians’ profession. It’ll be of much interest for those who enjoy films about magic, like Edward Norton’s The Illusionist (2006) and Jesse Eisenberg’s Now You See Me (2013).

Titled The Prestige, it stars Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale as the rivals, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson and, besides, David Bowie in the role of Nikola Tesla. This gem really “gets better with more viewings, as voiced by Redditor @Striped_Tomatoe.

“Watch it 5 more times and i promise every time you'll notice more and more clues, foreshadowing, and details that you missed the first time around,” claims @kattahn.

If you still haven’t seen Nolan’s take on magic, you should immediately put it on your watchlist, but if you saw it, check it out one more time to see how it plays with you.

The Prestige is available for streaming on Netflix , Prime and Max.