Word: eisenheim
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...Illusionist, based on a story by Steven Millhauser, is the perfect title for any movie that wants you to consider the first principle of cinema: take nothing you see for granted. Same goes for the film's title character, Eisenheim (Edward Norton), who astonishes Vienna theatergoers of a century ago with his subtle sleight of hand. In an instant, this sorcerer can make an orange tree sprout from a seed. He can stick a saber on a floor that strong men are unable to dislodge. Perhaps he can bring the dead back to life. You are welcome to conclude that...
...fallen in love with a young duchess and schemed to elope with her. In maturity, this beauty has become Princess Sophie (Jessica Biel), who is likely to be wed to Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell), a potentate as brutal as he is handsome--and he is very handsome. If Eisenheim and Sophie are to resume their tryst, they must elude both Leopold and his wily Chief Inspector Uhl (Paul Giamatti). All are ready to play roles in Eisenheim's game: to be his accomplice, his stooge, his unmasker, his ruin...
...American stars (Norton, Biel, Giamatti) for strutting their fanciest Anglo-European accents. But even those may be devices of misdirection, little traps set by Neil Burger, the writer-director. It's not how Burger sets the stage; it's what he puts on it. Soon Norton slips into Eisenheim's skin and, with the aid of real-life master magicians Ricky Jay and Michael Weber, makes the enterprise soar--or, at any rate, levitate...
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