Are you watching closely?
Every magic trick consists of three parts or acts.
The first part is called the Pledge.
The magician shows you something ordinary...
...a deck of cards, a bird, or a man.
He shows you this object...
...perhaps he asks you to inspect it...
... to see that it is, indeed, real.
Yeah, unaltered, normal.
But of course, it probably isn 't.
-Where do you think you're going? -I'm part of the bIoody act, you fooI.
The second act is called the Turn.
The magician takes the ordinary something...
...and makes it do something extraordinary.
Now, you're looking for the secret, but you won 't find it...
...because, of course, you're not really looking.
You don 't really wanna know.
You want to be fooled.
But you wouldn 't clap yet...
...because making something disappear isn 't enough.
You have to bring it back.
That's why every magic trick has a third act.
The hardest part.
The part we call the Prestige.
The Prestige. And did Robert Angier, the Great Danton, your empIoyer. . .
. . .get to that finaI part of his trick that night?
-No, sir. Something went wrong. -What went wrong?
I saw someone making their way beIow stage.
I foIIowed him.
It was Borden, watching Mr. Angier drown.
WouId you pIease describe your occupation to the jury, Mr. Cutter?
I'm an ingénieur.
I design iIIusions and construct the apparatus necessary for performing them.
So, Mr. Cutter. . .
. . .was this water-fiIIed tank beneath the stage. . .
. . .part of Mr. Angier's iIIusion?
No, no. It was--
The tank was brought on for the first trick and then taken off-stage.
Borden must have pIaced it under the trap door after the intervaI.
How Iarge was this tank?
Oh, it's a normaI tank for escape underwater, about 4 or 500 gaIIons.
How do you think Mr. Borden. . .
. . .was abIe to move the tank under the trap door without anyone noticing?
He's a magician. Ask him.
I ask again that this man expIain the mechanics of Mr. Angier's iIIusion.
The ReaI Transported Man. . .
. . .is one of the most sought-after iIIusions in this business.
I have the right to seII it on.
If I reveaI the method here, then the trick is worthIess.
How can we know that the tank wasn't some part of the trick that went wrong?
Mr. Cutter, I see your predicament. . .
. . .but AIfred Borden's Iife hangs in the baIance.
If you were prepared to discIose the detaiIs to me in private. . .
. . .I might be abIe to judge their reIevance to the case.
Might this be an acceptabIe compromise?
I'm gonna have to ask you to turn out your pockets.
Not my idea, sir.
The warden saw his show in Manchester Iast year. . .
. . .where he vanished into thin air.
He's convinced he'II try and escape.
I toId him the onIy way that Borden's gonna disappear. . .
. . .is if I Ieave him out there with the other inmates.
Check the Iocks.
Twice.
My name is Owens.
I'm a soIicitor.
I represent Lord CaIdIow, accompIished amateur magician and historian--
How much?
-Lord CaIdIow is interested-- -How much for my tricks?
Five thousand pounds.
TaIk with FaIIon, my ingénieur. Money's for him.
Yes, I did. He offered to seII me your tricks.
AII except the most vaIuabIe one: The Transported Man.
WeII, I wouIdn't forgive myseIf for seIIing my greatest trick.
Even for your daughter?
If the newspapers are right and you are for the drop. . .
-. . .your daughter wiII need Iooking after. -FaIIon wiII take care of her.
Bernard FaIIon? A man with a past aImost as obscure as your own.
Courts motioned that the girI be removed from his care.
No, the girI wiII be an orphan.
I know you're no stranger to the workhouse. It's better than here?
I'm offering you a way to wrap up your affairs with dignity.
And I'm offering your daughter a future.
As Lord CaIdIow's ward, she wiII want for nothing. Ever.
WeII, think it over.
And Lord CaIdIow wouId Iike you to have this as a show of good faith.
He said it might be of interest. This is Robert Angier's diary.
IncIuding the time he spent in CoIorado Iearning your trick.
-He never Iearned my trick. -ReaIIy?
On his return from CoIorado, he mounted a version of The Transported Man. . .
. . .that the papers said was better even than your originaI.
If you want Angier's secrets, you go dig him up and ask him yourseIf.
I want your secret, Mr. Borden.
Consider your daughter.
A cipher. An enigma.
A search. A search for answers.
Even if Colorado is the end of my journey...
...it'll take much longer to unravel the rest of Borden 's secrets.
See, the cipher in his notebook is unlocked by a single word...
...but it will still take months to translate his writing and to know his mind.
Well, my passion is equal to the task.
Mr. Angier? WeIcome to CoIorado Springs.
-The whoIe town has eIectricity. -Yes, sir.
WeII, quite a reception.
You're our first guest of the season, Mr. Angier.
Your teIegram didn't indicate how Iong you'II be staying with us.
For as Iong as it takes.
I'II need a coach tomorrow to take me up the mountain.
WeII, the peak is cIosed, sir, for scientific experimentation.
Yes, I know. That's why I'm here.
You'II have to waIk the rest, I'm afraid, sir.
I'm amazed how many of you newspaper writers can't read my sign.
Not the weIcome I was expecting.
I know you.
You're the Great Danton. I saw your show in London seven times.
You guessed every object the audience had in their pockets.
I'm AIIey.
Sorry about the fence. PeopIe interfere with our work.
-I've come to see TesIa. -Why?
He made a machine for a coIIeague of mine sometime ago.
-Can you get me a meeting with him? -ImpossibIe, I'm afraid.
I brought a Iot of money.
I'm sorry, Mr. Angier.
I simpIy can't heIp you.
I'II be staying at the hoteI. IndefiniteIy.
Hey, what am I hoIding?
Your watch.
Borden 's journal entry for April 3rd, 1 897...
...describes a show at the Orpheum Theater.
That was just days after he first met me.
We were two young men at the start of a great career.
Two young men devoted to an illusion.
Two young men who never intended to hurt anyone.
Which of you brave souIs is wiIIing to bind this IoveIy young woman?
If you wouId tie her wrists.
Bind her feet around the ankIe.
Are either of you two gentIemen saiIors?
-No. -No.
I'm sure you can both tie a strong knot.
He's compIacent, he's predictabIe, he's boring.
I mean, MiIton has gotten success, whatever that means. . .
. . .and now he's scared. He won't take any risks at aII.
I mean, he's squandering the goodwiII of the audience. . .
-. . .with tired, second-rate tricks. -They're oId favorites.
Favorites? Give me something fresh. He won't even try a buIIet catch.
A buIIet catch is suicide.
AII it takes is some smart-ass voIunteer to put a button in the barreI.
-Fine. Use a pIant. -You can't for every trick.
-There'd be no seats Ieft for the punters. -No buIIet catch.
But the point is that a reaI magician tries to invent something new. . .
. . .that other magicians are gonna scratch their heads over.
And then you seII it to him for a smaII fortune.
-AII right. -Yeah.
I suppose you have such a trick.
-ActuaIIy, I do. -WouId you care to seII it to me?
No. No one eIse couId do my trick.
-Any trick can be dupIicated, right? -Wrong.
If Mr. Borden has invented his masterpiece. . .
. . .it might be onIy he's prepared to do it.
MiIton is a great showman, but Borden is right.
He won't get his hands dirty.
If you wanna see what it takes to make reaI magic, go to the TenIey.
There's a Chinaman there, and he reaIIy has what it takes.
-Chung Ling Soo. -Pricey. I can't afford that.
I know the bIoke on the door.
You two go and see that show. . .
. . .and whichever one of you can teII me. . .
. . .how he does the goIdfish-bowI trick. . .
-. . .gets a prize. -AII right.
-Which is? -Ten minutes on-stage. . .
. . .with my oId friend Mr. Ackerman.
-ReaIIy? -Who's Ackerman?
The top theatricaI agent in London.
I saw you drop the knot again.
-I think I turned my wrist. -Some nights you don't get it, do you?
I mean, if that knot sIips and JuIia's on the hoist, she'II break a Ieg.
It's the wrong knot. Like I said, the Langford doubIe wiII hoId tighter.
The Langford doubIe isn't a wet knot. It's too dangerous.
If the rope sweIIs up, she won't sIip it.
-I can sIip a Langford underwater. -She can sIip it. We'II practice.
Hey, Borden, he said no.
Yeah, weII, you know knots better than me, do you?
Listen, no more mistakes.
AII right. Yeah, do you? You wanna take over?
-Just Ieave it. -I didn't think so.
-Hey, Cutter, where's he from? -Where are you from?
-He shifts props for VirgiI at the haII. -Don't you worry he'II steaI your tricks?
-He doesn't deaI in methods. -How do you know?
Because I hired him to find out how VirgiI does the orange trick.
-WeII, I don't trust him. -He's a naturaI magician.
Of course you can't trust him.
I think he's aII right.
-You think everyone's aII right. -Even you.
Watch your sightIines. If I can see you kissing your wife's Ieg every night. . .
. . .so can the bIokes at the ends of row three and four.
-You're wrong. It can 't be. -No, it is.
-Look at the man. -This is the trick.
This is a performance right here.
This is why no one can detect his method.
TotaI devotion to his art.
Utter seIf-sacrifice, you know?
It's the onIy way to escape aII this, you know.
AII right.
I can bareIy Iift this thing and it's not even fiIIed with water.
Or fish. Look.
I don't know. Hang on a second.
He must be strong as an ox.
He's been pretending to be a crippIe for years.
Any time he's in pubIic. Any time he goes out. It's unthinkabIe.
Borden saw it at once, but I couIdn't fathom it.
Living my whoIe Iife pretending to be someone eIse.
-You're pretending to be someone eIse. -I don't think changing a name compares.
Not just your name. Who you are and where you're from.
I promised my famiIy. . .
. . .I wouIdn't embarrass them with my theatricaI endeavors.
I thought of a name for you.
The Great Danton.
Do you Iike it?
-But it's sophisticated. -It's French.
Borden writes as if no one but he understood the true nature of magic.
But what does he know of self-sacrifice?
You bIoody fooI.
-He kiIIed it. -What?
What's wrong?
-He kiIIed it. -I'm sure he didn't.
See? Look, now he'II bring it back.
No, he kiIIed it.
No.
Look. See? He's aII right. He's fine.
-Look at him. -But where's his brother?
He's a sharp Iad, your son.
Oh, he's my nephew.
You're the Iucky one today.
Are you watching cIoseIy?
Look cIoser.
Never show anyone.
They'II beg you and fIatter you for the secret, but as soon as you give it up. . .
. . .you'II be nothing to them.
You understand? Nothing.
The secret impresses no one.
The trick you use it for is everything.
-WeII, thank you for Iunch, Mr. Borden. -You're weIcome.
-AIfred. It's AIfred. -AIfred.
So I couId use a cup of tea.
I'd scandaIize the IandIord. I think not.
You think that's--? Is that enough to keep me out?
I think so.
So I'II see you again?
MiIk and sugar?
-What's in there? -Angier's machine.
You buiIt this, Mr. Cutter?
Oh, no, sir. This wasn't buiIt by a magician.
This was buiIt by a wizard.
A man who can actuaIIy do what magicians pretend to do.
TeII me, Your Honor, what happens with these things after the triaI?
They've been soId to a Lord CaIdIow.
An avid coIIector, apparentIy very interested in the case.
Yeah, weII, don't Iet him take this.
-Why ever not? -It's too dangerous.
I'm sure beneath its beIIs and whistIes it's got a simpIe and disappointing trick.
Most disappointing of aII, sir. . .
. . .it has no trick.
It's reaI.
This is the tank Angier drowned in?
Yes.
This is the pIace where the performer's hand reaches through. . .
. . .to the trick padIock.
A standard magicaI apparatus for escapes.
Yeah, with one important difference:
This isn't a trick Iock.
It's been switched for a reaI one.
What a way to kiII someone.
They're magicians, Your Honor. Showmen.
Men who Iive by dressing up pIain and sometimes brutaI truths. . .
. . .to amaze, to shock.
Even without an audience?
There was an audience.
You see, this water tank. . .
. . .was of particuIar significance to these two men.
ParticuIarIy awfuI significance.
Which of you brave souIs is wiIIing to bind this IoveIy young woman?
If you wouId tie her wrists.
Bind her feet around the ankIe.
Are either of you two gentIemen saiIors?
No.
I'm sure you can both tie a strong knot.
Robert!
No! No! No!
JuIia. JuIia.
JuIia! JuIia!
I knew an oId saiIor once.
He toId me he went overboard, tangIed in the saiIs.
They puIIed him out, but it took him five minutes to cough.
He said it was Iike going home.
What do you want, Borden?
I'm sorry for your Ioss, Angier.
Which knot did you tie?
I keep asking myseIf that.
-And? -And. . . .
I'm sorry, I just don't know.
You don't know?
I'm sorry.
You don't know?
AIfred?
Good news. We got our first booking today.
-I don't think we've had the pIeasure. -Mr. FaIIon is my ingénieur.
-Where did you get aII of--? -Begged, borrowed, and don't ask.
He's a very enterprising souI, is Mr. FaIIon.
-So-- -We can't afford to pay him.
Money wiII come when we get the audience.
But what about untiI then? I mean, what I earn, it's bareIy enough for us.
Don't worry about it. I'II share haIf my food with him or something.
You're aIready going to be doing that with someone eIse.
-No. You're--? -Having a baby.
Oh, my God. We shouId have toId FaIIon.
That is great. We're having a baby.
-We're having a baby. -Oh, come here.
AIfred, what's this?
Oh, this is just the trick to wake Ackerman up at the end of my act.
Is it the masterpiece? The great trick?
No, no, no. The worId is not ready for that one yet.
This is just your run-of-the-miII, daring, spectacuIar buIIet catch.
-A buIIet catch? -Yeah, but it's safe, I promise. Look.
-Shoot me. -Shoot you?
Go on, shoot me.
-Right there. -No, I can't.
No, no, not there. Shoot me here. Don't--
-How's that? -That's very good.
-Go on, teII me how you do it. -No, I can't do that.
-WeII, then you can't do it. AIfred-- -I can't do it?
I'm sorry, AIfred, but I can't raise a chiId on my own.
-You don't teII anybody that I toId you. -Okay.
Gunpowder. . .
. . .wadding. . .
. . .and a buIIet.
A ramrod.
HoId out your hand.
The buIIet is not even in the gun when the charge is fired.
Once you know, it's actuaIIy very obvious.
WeII, I mean, you stiII get--
It's dangerous. I mean, peopIe stiII get kiIIed doing that.
-WeII, how? -WeII, you know.
Somebody couId get a smart-ass. He can put a penny or a button. . .
. . .or may God forbid, Sarah, somebody couId put a buIIet there.
Don't worry. Don't worry. . .
. . .because I'm not gonna Iet anything happen.
Everything's gonna be aII right. . .
. . .because I Iove you very much.
-Say it again. -I Iove you.
-Not today. -What?
WeII, on some days it's not true, and today you don't mean it.
Maybe today you're more in Iove with magic than me.
I Iike being abIe to teII the difference.
It makes the days it is true mean something.
AII right.
MetaI rings, Iadies and gentIemen.
If there are any Iadies or gentIemen here.
-SoIid metaI. -Seen that aIready.
-Leave it out! -Come on.
Get out your gun, mate.
-Who threw that? -I did!
Get out your gun. You're gonna need it.
Get a gun.
It's what you came for, is it?
So who wants to voIunteer?
Me! Me!
Me.
Watch it, cowboy.
Are you man enough, sir?
Yes.
Which knot did you tie, Borden?
I don't know.
He came in to demand an answer, and I told him the truth.
That I have fought with myself over that night.
One half of me swearing blind that I tied a simple slipknot...
... the other half convinced that I tied the Langford double.
I can never know for sure.
How can he not know?
He must know what he did. He must.
Sarah, that bIoody hurts.
I don't understand how it can be bIeeding again.
It's as bad as the day it happened.
-We have to get a doctor back. -We can't afford the bIoody doctor back.
-You've woken her. -Great.
I'm sorry. I need this to heaI so I can go back to work.
AIfred, face things. What tricks can you perform with this kind of injury?
I can do card puIIs. I can do some prop tricks.
I can stiII do that. And I can do the trick that I've been teIIing you about.
The one that they're gonna remember me for.
Come on.
Never thought I'd find an answer at the bottom of a gIass.
Hasn't stopped you Iooking.
Heard about a booking.
Nice IittIe theater. Young, up-and-coming magician.
-Who? -You.
You got me a booking? Why?
I wanna keep on working.
And who's gonna hire the ingénieur that kiIIed JuIia McCuIIough. . .
. . .in front of a seIIout crowd at the Orpheum?
Someone who knows it wasn't your fauIt.
Someone who knows AIfred Borden and his repertoire of exotic knots.
I hear he had a spot of bad Iuck catching a buIIet south of the river.
That's a dangerous trick, that one.
We'II have to whitewash the windows. . .
. . .confound the more curious members of the pubIic, but it wiII do.
-We shouId see about an assistant. -I've made some arrangements.
Have you settIed on a name?
Yes, I have. The Great Danton.
It's a bit oId-fashioned, isn't it?
No, it's sophisticated.
The birdcage can't be our cIimax. Everybody knows it.
-Not Iike this, they don't. -I don't wanna kiII doves.
Then stay off the stage. You're a magician, not a wizard.
You gotta get your hands dirty if you're gonna achieve the impossibIe.
In here, Miss Wenscombe.
No point in you meeting Mr. Angier if you don't fit.
On the right.
What's so hard about this?
Nothing. But you're going down here.
HoId it. HoId it there. This has gotta go around there.
-And this wiII conceaI it? -Yeah, oh, sure.
-AII right? -Yeah.
-Now, take that one there. -Yep. Okay.
-Pin this under. -And this ties up here?
-That ties at the front. -That's good.
Breathe as IittIe as possibIe.
Now, you see? That'II go. That'II fIatten.
-I see. Yeah. -Okay.
She's not experienced, but she knows how to present herseIf.
A pretty assistant is the most effective form of misdirection.
Thank you.
Ladies and gentIemen, for my finaI trick. . .
. . .I wiII require the assistance of two voIunteers.
Mr. Merrit, if you wouId obIige me?
Yeah. Okay. Bring your hand around.
-Under? -Under, yeah.
There. I put it around its foot.
-CarefuI. -He's aII right, ain't he?
-You get a voIunteer to put a hand there. -Yeah.
And another one there.
Mr. Merrit, if you'II pIace your hands on either side of the cage, pIease.
Thank you, OIivia.
You best not be intending. . .
-. . .to hurt this animaI, Mr. Angier. -Of course not.
You ready? AII right.
One. . . .
Two. . . .
-Three. -Three. Go.
WeII, that's bIoody marveIous, Cutter.
Very nice.
And the best part is. . . .
I thought you said I had to get my hands dirty.
Someday perhaps you wiII. I just had to know that you can.
-Very nice. Very nice, indeed. -Thank you, Mr. Merrit.
I haven't had the chance to compIiment your beautifuI theater.
WeII, it'II be a Iot more beautifuI when it's fuII.
-Don't worry. -Oh, you aII say that.
Why shouId I worry? If your tricks don't get them in, somebody eIse's wiII.
Maybe somebody wiIIing to do a buIIet catch or a water escape?
Cheap thriIIs, Mr. Merrit.
PeopIe hoping for an accident, IikeIy to see one too.
What wouId that do for your business?
-You got a week, John. -Thank you, Mr. Merrit.
Thank you.
Sir? In the third row there.
PIease stand up and show us your handkerchief.
This isn't mine.
Perhaps you'd be so good as to return it to the Iady in the aisIe.
I beIieve she has yours.
Thank you.
I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm making so many mistakes.
I'm so nervous.
The audience doesn't seem to be responding.
They've seen a Iot of tricks before, but not this next one.
Put a cIoth over.
-Fingers crossed. -I'II have the champagne ready.
-You've seen this one before? -We've seen them aII.
I'II make it a IittIe harder then, shaII I?
Two voIunteers, pIease. A Iady and a gentIeman to hoId this cage with me.
I'II perform this feat in a manner never before seen by yourseIves. . .
. . .or any other audience anywhere in the worId.
Madam, if you'II pIace one hand on the back of the cage. . .
. . .one hand on the front.
Sir, one hand on the bottom of the cage, one hand on the top.
-ShouId have spotted him. -You had a Iot of pIates going.
-Don't suppose they'II Iet us do it again. -No.
-So, what's the cIimax of our show? -Show? You don't have a show.
We have a week's engagement.
To perform magic, not butcher birds and break my customers' fingers.
CIear out. Anything here in the morning gets burned.
-Mr. Merrit-- -It's done, John.
I've hired a comedian. You know I hate comedians.
WeII, there's pIenty of good theaters.
If we can come up with a new trick, change the name of the act--
The name stays.
Right. WeII, then the new trick's gonna have to be irresistibIe, then.
I have a coupIe of methods to try out.
And then we need a new angIe on the presentation.
Oh, and if you need some inspiration. . .
. . .there's a technicaI exposition at the AIbert HaII this week.
Engineers, scientists, you know?
That sort of thing captures a pubIic's imagination.
Mind if I join you? TesIa sends me down here during the storms.
Perfect excuse to come join the Great Danton for a drink.
Two of them.
BeautifuI, isn't it, huh? God, I miss New York though.
-So why are you here? -The Iightning Iives here.
And not much eIse. Our work is secret.
Is that a cipher?
It's a rotating transposition that shifts every day of the diary.
SimpIe, but time-consuming to transIate. . .
. . .even when you have the five-Ietter keyword.
Which is?
We magicians have a circIe of trust.
You have a circIe of trust with someone whose diary you stoIe?
Maybe I bought it.
And you're hoping to find a great secret in there.
I've aIready found it. That's why I'm here.
TesIa buiIt one for another magician.
-Why wouId you want the same thing? -CaII it a professionaI rivaIry.
Mr. TesIa has buiIt unusuaI machines for unusuaI peopIe.
But he wouId never taIk about it.
I understand discretion. I just want the machine.
Finish your drink.
I wanna show you something.
I think you'II have a speciaI appreciation for our work.
-I thought it was a secret. -You're a magician.
Who's gonna beIieve you?
Not Iong now.
Our equipment requires a great deaI of current.
TesIa eIectrified the whoIe town. . .
. . .in exchange for using the generators when we need to.
We do our tests when the townspeopIe are asIeep.
Mr. TesIa doesn't wanna scare anyone.
Where are the wires?
ExactIy.
-Where's the generator? -You saw it Iast week.
-That must be 1 0 miIes from here. -Fifteen.
And I have to ride aII of them before I get to bed.
I'II send word for you in a few days, Mr. Angier.
Magic. Real magic.
Now appearing onIy here at London's RoyaI AIbert HaII.
One of the miracIes of our age.
A technoIogicaI marveI.
You've never seen anything Iike it in your Iives.
Your eyes wiII not beIieve what they're witnessing.
The miracIe of NikoIa TesIa, Iadies and gentIemen.
Free, cIean power. WouId you Iike to know the future?
The man speaking now is going to change the worId.
Ladies and gentIemen, come one, come aII. Immediate seating, no waiting.
Ladies and gentIemen, I'm sorry. . .
. . .but objections have been raised. . .
-. . .concerning the safety. . . . -Does that Iook safe to you?
Part of Thomas Edison's smear campaign. . .
. . .against Mr. TesIa's superior aIternating current.
Mr. AIIey, pIease.
We have asked Mr. TesIa to reconsider. . .
-Which he wiII not. -. . .his presentation.
But I've been toId he refuses to appear under any such restrictions.
CIear the haII! This thing is gonna bIow!
-CIear the haII! -Ladies and gentIemen, pIease!
Where's the switch?
This is aII perfectIy safe.
Hey.
HeIIo, you.
HeIIo, Jess.
Have you had a nice day with Mummy?
Sarah, I Iove you.
-See? Today it's true. -Yeah.
HeIIo.
I saw happiness.
Happiness that should have been mine.
But I was wrong.
His notebook reveals that he never had the life that I envied.
The family life that he craves one minute...
...he rails against the next, demanding freedom.
His mind.... His mind is a divided one.
His soul is restless.
His wife and child tormented by his fickle and contradictory nature.
What do you think? What do you think you'II caII her?
I don't know.
Everybody needs a name. So, what's hers?
Maybe Sarah.
That's a IoveIy name. That's a IoveIy name.
You taIk about what you wanna do for the rest of the day.
AII right? Go on. You taIk with her.
They're taking her away?
To the workhouse?
Now, you keep taIking.
TeII Owens I've reconsidered. Take it. Go on, take it.
It's for the best.
Let me see.
I'm gonna Iearn aII the Professor's secrets.
OnIy if I teach you how to read.
They're just stupid tricks, right?
Haven't heIped you get out of here, have they?
Or can't you undo reaI Iocks, Professor?
WeII, maybe I'm just biding my time.
Maybe one day I'II open my hand, get your attention, ask:
''Are you watching cIoseIy?''
Maybe a magic word or two.
And then I'II be gone.
How'd you get so famous, then, eh?
Magic.
Borden, get back here!
Thank you.
Shut up! Get him down!
Thank you.
Who's got a bIoody key?
February 8th, 1 899.
Today, finally a breakthrough.
Tesla 's agreed to see me.
It's perfectIy safe.
So this is the Great Danton.
Mr. AIIey has effused about your act to me on any number of occasions.
HoId out other hand.
What's conducting the eIectricity?
Our bodies, Mr. Angier, are quite capabIe of conducting. . .
. . .and, indeed, producing energy.
Have you eaten, Mr. Angier?
I need something impossibIe.
You are famiIiar with the phrase, ''Man's reach exceeds his grasp''?
It's a Iie.
Man's grasp exceeds his nerve.
Society onIy toIerates one change at a time.
The first time I tried to change the worId. . .
. . .I was haiIed as a visionary.
Second time, I was asked poIiteIy to retire.
So here I am, enjoying my retirement.
Nothing is impossibIe, Mr. Angier.
What you want is simpIy expensive.
If I were to buiId for you this machine. . .
. . .you wouId be presenting it mereIy as iIIusion?
WeII, if peopIe actuaIIy beIieved the things I did on-stage. . .
. . .they wouIdn't cIap, they'd scream. I mean, think of sawing a woman in haIf.
Mr. Angier, have you considered the cost of such a machine?
Price is not an object.
Perhaps not, but have you considered the cost?
I'm not sure I foIIow.
Go home. Forget this thing.
I can recognize an obsession.
No good wiII come of it.
Hasn't good come of your obsessions?
At first. But I have foIIowed them too Iong.
I am their sIave, and one day, they wiII choose to destroy me.
If you understand an obsession, then you know you won't change my mind.
So be it.
WiII you buiId it?
I have aIready begun to buiId it, Mr. Angier.
I hope you enjoy the mountain air.
This wiII take some time.
I thought you'd gone.
I don't reaIIy have anywhere to go.
You've been sIeeping here?
Cutter said it'd be aII right tiII we get another booking. What are you doing?
Research.
Part of a magician's job is to watch his competition, to see what iIIusions--
You're going to do something to that man, aren't you?
Cutter's hoping you'II Iet things Iie.
He says if Borden thinks things are even between you two--
Even?
My wife for a coupIe of his fingers?
He has a famiIy now, right? And he's performing again.
Borden is Iiving his Iife just as he aIways intended, as if nothing had happened.
And Iook at-- Look at me, aII right?
-I'm aIone and no theater wiII touch me. -Us.
You're going to need a better disguise.
Need a voIunteer.
What happened?
Did you hurt him?
What happened, Robert?
You, sir.
Just a rubber baII, yes? Thank you.
Just a rubber baII, no.
Not normaI. Not a normaI rubber baII.
It's magic.
He had a new trick.
Was it good?
It was the greatest magic trick I've ever seen.
Did they applaud when you saw it?
The trick was too good, it was too simpIe.
-The audience hardIy had time to see it. -He's a dreadfuI magician.
No, he's a wonderfuI magician. He's a dreadfuI showman.
He doesn't know how to dress it up, how to seII--
-How does he do it? -Uses a doubIe.
No, no, no, it's too simpIe. This is a compIex iIIusion.
You onIy say that because you don't know the method.
It's a doubIe at the end. It's the onIy way.
I've seen him perform the trick three times now.
-The Prestige is the same man. -No, it's not.
The same man comes out of that second cabinet.
It's the same man.
He wears padded gIoves to hide his damaged fingers. . .
. . .but if you Iook cIoseIy you can teII.
He doesn't know how to seII it to an audience, but I do.
Yeah, weII, we can use it as a cIimax to the show.
Yes.
The man stoIe my Iife, I'm gonna steaI his trick.
-Find someone who Iooks Iike you. -He doesn't use a doubIe.
Robert, I don't know how Borden does the trick, so either--
You either wait for him to retire and buy the secret. . .
. . .or you Iisten to how I wouId do it.
The onIy way that I know how to do it is to find you a bIoody good doubIe.
AII right.
Take a good Iook. Let's get out there and find me.
Look. Look.
What's that?
That is for you.
What's this for?
Come here.
-I asked you Iast week. You said you-- -You caught me in a wrong mood.
But you went over aII the--
Sarah, I'm aIIowed to change my mind, aren't I?
The act is taking off, soon we'II be in a bigger theater.
Things wiII work out.
I can't beIieve it. Thank you.
Thank you. It's beautifuI.
Gerry?
DarIing, Iook at you.
Mr. Cutter, Mr. Angier, I'd Iike you to meet GeraId Root.
A pIeasure. PIeasure to meet you fine gentIemen.
WouId you Iike for me to teII you a IittIe joke? Come here.
There we are. Yes?
Are you Iaughing now?
Oh, dear, I have to take a piss.
-He's out of his mind. -Of course. He's an out-of-work actor.
He's perfect. He needs a IittIe heIp. . .
. . .but when I get done with him, he couId be your brother.
I don't need him to be my brother, I need him to be me.
Give me a month.
Come around.
So you open the door and. . . .
Come on.
-CouIdn't you have found a softer one? -WeII, it's not for sIeeping on.
So if you come down through there. . .
-. . .does Root go up through there? -Yep.
It's going to be amazing, Robert.
WeII, it has to be. Borden's trick is getting noticed.
The pIace was packed today.
You went and saw his show again.
Ready to meet yourseIf, Mr. Angier?
AII I have to do is keep myseIf drunk. . .
. . .and no one wiII be abIe to teII the difference.
Have a IittIe faith, sir.
Now, wouId you favor us with a performance, Mr. Root?
Jesus.
Yes, you wouId drink too if you knew the worId haIf as weII as I do.
Did you think you were unique?
I have been Caesar. I pIayed Faust.
How difficuIt couId it possibIy be to pIay the Great Danton?
You can go back to being yourseIf now, Root, for nothing.
I'd rather be him for now.
I find it amusing.
My Iiege, I did deny no prisoners.
-You Iook wonderfuI. -Oh, thank you.
Root has to keep a Iow profiIe. Anyone sees him, the game's up.
I don't know how you do these things. I'm not sure I wanna know.
Have you thought what we shouId caII the trick?
There's no point in being coy.
Borden caIIs his trick ''The Transported Man. ''
Ladies and gentIemen, much of what you've seen tonight. . .
. . .may be termed as iIIusions or entertaining trifIes.
AIas. . .
. . .I cannot cIaim this next feat as iIIusion.
Watch carefuIIy.
You'II see no trickery. . .
. . .for no trickery is empIoyed.
MereIy a technique famiIiar to certain citizens of the Orient. . .
. . .and various hoIy men of the HimaIayas.
Indeed, many of you may be famiIiar with this technique. . .
. . .but for those of you who aren't, do not be aIarmed. . .
. . .what you're about to see is considered safe.
To our achievement.
The manager says he's never seen a reaction Iike it.
At Ieast he got to see it. I spent the ovation hiding under the stage.
No one cares about the man who disappears into the box.
They care about the one who comes out.
-I care about the man in the box. -Thank you.
I don't know. Maybe-- Maybe we couId switch before the trick.
I couId be the Prestige and Root ends up beIow.
No, the anticipation of the trick is everything.
We need your showmanship to buiId up the suspense.
Once Root opens his mouth, it's over. He can't introduce this trick.
Of course I can. I'm the Great Danton.
Root, you bIoody fooI. Get out of that wardrobe and makeup.
Anyone couId waIk in here at any minute.
CongratuIations, aII.
Life is not fuII of these moments, Robbie. We worked hard.
We need to ceIebrate properIy.
What's wrong? Is it your wife?
No. No, it's the trick. It isn't good enough.
Borden's trick is nothing compared to ours. He has no styIe.
WeII, he doesn't spend the finaIe hiding under the stage.
I need to know how he does it.
-Why? -So I can do it better.
I need you to go and work for him.
Work for him? Are you joking?
You'II be my spy.
We just got our start. You want me to Ieave?
That's how we advance. Think of it, OIivia.
We got peopIe excited, but imagine what we couId do with the reaI iIIusion.
We'd have the greatest magic act anyone's ever seen.
He knows I work for you.
ExactIy why he'II wanna hire you. He'II want my secret.
-Why wouId he trust me? -Because you're gonna teII him the truth.
Good girI.
You must be curious to see what so much money has bought you, Mr. Angier.
It's fitting you shouId be here for maiden voyage.
Your hat.
You might wanna stand back.
I don't understand.
Perhaps it wouId be best if you Ieft us to it.
-Is there a probIem, Mr. TesIa? -No, no, no.
-Come back next week. -Next week?
-Come back-- Next week, it'II be fine. -TesIa.
She's just a IittIe temperamentaI sometimes.
-Interesting workshop. -Yeah, we make do.
-My name is OIivia Wenscombe-- -I know who you are.
You here to steaI my show?
I'm here to give it what it's missing.
-Yeah? What might that be? -Me.
I was just saying that, wasn't I, Bernard? Woman's touch.
-I've Ieft Angier. -AII right.
-I want a job. -Yeah?
-I know you've no reason to trust me-- -Why wouIdn't I trust you?
I mean, you're onIy the mistress of my enemy. Why wouIdn't I trust you?
-Mr. Borden-- -AIfred.
I'm going to teII you the truth.
Now that is a sIippery notion in our Iine of work. . .
. . .isn't it, Miss Wenscombe?
I am here because he sent me here.
He wants me to work for you and steaI your secret.
What does he need my secret for?
His trick is top-notch.
He vanishes and then he reappears on the other side of the stage. . .
. . .mute, overweight and, unIess I'm mistaken, very drunk.
It's astonishing. How does he do it?
And teII me, OIivia, does he enjoy taking his bows under the stage?
No, it's kiIIing him.
He's obsessed with discovering your methods.
He thinks of nothing eIse.
He takes no pIeasure in our success, and I've had enough.
There is no future with him.
He sent me here to steaI your secrets, but I've actuaIIy come to offer you his.
This is the truth, is it?
Think you'd better get dressed, sir.
Root, you're Iate and more drunk than usuaI.
-Now, get down beIow stairs right away. -No.
No, we need to have a IittIe chat, Mr. Cutter.
We have a probIem.
Cutter, Borden is performing right across the street.
Yeah? We have a bigger probIem.
Root. He's reaIized he can make demands.
Wha--? He's bIackmaiIing us?
I was surprised, to teII the truth.
It usuaIIy takes them Ionger to figure it out.
-WeII, how much does he want? -WeII, it makes no difference.
-We gotta stop doing the trick. -Stop the trick? Cutter, Iook at this.
WeII, Iook at yesterday's, Iook at Iast week. . .
. . .where they said you were the premier stage performer in London.
Not magician, mind you.
-Performer of any kind. -WeII, what's your point?
My point is, Robert, is you've cIimbed too high. . .
. . .to get away with professionaI embarrassment.
We don't do any tricks we can't controI.
Just pay him whatever he wants for now.
We keep doing the trick untiI Borden opens and then we'II phase it out.
AII right.
Cutter was always surprised how fast Root turned bad.
To what do I owe the pIeasure of this rather weIcome pint of aIe?
You're the Great Danton, aren't you?
Of course I am, but don't advertise it because I'II be mobbed with fans.
We paid him enough to keep him in beers...
...so you wouldn 't expect him to rock the boat.
Indeed, many of you may be famiIiar with this technique.
But for those of you who aren't, do not be aIarmed. . .
. . .what you're about to see is considered safe.
And who are you?
I am a humbIe admirer and a feIIow practitioner.
Very good.
-Another? -Oh, if you insist.
-Another. -I'm not performing tonight.
WeII, I'm onIy doing one show. . .
. . .but to be frank, my peopIe pretty much run things these days.
Get up there!
Get up!
Your iIIusion, The Transported Man. . .
. . .I'm not cIaiming to know your methods or anything. . .
. . .but I had a simiIar trick in my act, and I used a doubIe.
I see. Very good.
WeII, it was, and then it went bad.
What I didn't count on, was that when I incorporated this bIoke into my act. . .
. . .he had compIete power over me.
CompIete power, you say.
Be very carefuI giving someone that power over you.
WeII, thank you.
Yes, thank you for the warning.
Cheers.
I cannot cIaim this next feat as iIIusion.
What you're about to see is considered safe.
The Great Danton.
I apoIogize.
There simpIy is too much magic. . .
. . .for my stage at the Pantages across the street.
-Bravo! -Bravo!
Pardon my intrusion.
-Bravo! -And go easy on the poor chap.
He does try so very hard.
I don't know how Borden found him.
Kept him under wraps, I was carefuI.
Yeah, weII, he did.
Do you think it was her?
You weren't expecting me?
I was expecting you sooner. Your message said afternoon.
It takes a bit for me to get around these days.
He's taken everything from me.
My wife, my career, now you.
What do you mean? You sent me--
I sent you to steaI his secret, not to improve his act.
-That's my job. -Or faII in Iove.
-I did everything you asked! -Yes? Yes?
-Then how does he do it? -Cutter was right, a doubIe.
-Of course Borden said that. -He didn't say anything. I've seen things.
Makeup, gIasses, wigs. We don't use it for the show, but I've seen it backstage.
Misdirection. He Ieaves things around to make you think he's using a doubIe.
AII the time? He doesn't know when I Iook.
AII the time, OIivia!
That's who he is! That's what it takes!
He Iives his act! Don't you see?
Just because you're sIeeping with him doesn't mean he trusts you.
You think you can see everything, don't you?
But the Great Danton is a bIind fooI. His notebook.
You stoIe it?
I borrowed it for tonight.
I thought you couId transIate it, but now--
-I can't. -You can't?
OIivia, no one can, it's a cipher.
Even with the keyword it wouId take months to decode.
-And without the keyword? -Perhaps never.
-We'II see. -We wiII not see.
If I don't get that back to him tomorrow, he'II know I took it.
-Leave him. -I can't. He knows where I Iive.
This is his diary, OIivia.
AII of his secrets are right here in my hands.
Won't bring your wife back.
I don't care about my wife, I care about his secret.
Look. . .
. . .I'II go to his workshop and stage a break-in.
-He'II know you took it. -Yes, me. Not you.
Understand?
Robert.
I have faIIen in Iove with him.
Then I know how hard this has been for you.
Notebook?
Then he's just getting started.
-Good evening. -Professor.
Professor.
-I. . . . -CouId I get your autograph?
-I'm waIking tonight. -Professor.
Let him come. I don't care.
-Professor. -Professor.
-You aII right? -I'm aIive.
Saves me cutting you an air hoIe.
-I'm impressed. -Why's that?
You're finaIIy getting your hands dirty.
It's what a good trick costs, Angier.
Risk.
Sacrifice.
The sacrifice, I'm afraid, is gonna be yours, unIess you give me what I want.
-Which is? -Your secret.
My secret?
Your method for The Transported Man.
FaIIon wouIdn't teII me. He doesn't seem to taIk at aII.
You have my notebook.
UseIess without the keyword.
Write down your method, Mr. Borden.
Describe it in fuII.
I want the whoIe method, not the keyword.
I don't even know if your secret's in your notebook.
The keyword is the method.
Where's my ingénieur?
-AIive? -How fast can you dig?
FaIIon! You hear me? FaIIon!
-How's the arm? -StiII attached.
-Did you find your answer? -Our answer.
Cutter, I haven't Iooked yet. I wanted you to share this.
I aIready know how he does it, Robert.
The same way he aIways has. The same way as we do.
It's just that you want something more.
WeII, Iet's find out then, shaII we?
What does it mean?
It means, Cutter, we have a journey ahead of us.
-To America. -Robert?
Listen to me.
Obsession is a young man's game.
-Oh, come on. -I can't foIIow you any further in it.
I can't. I'm sorry.
Then the rest is up to me.
I'm sorry.
Good evening. HeIIo, darIing.
Champagne, your finest.
I didn't know we were going to be joined for dinner.
-AbsoIuteIy. We are ceIebrating. -Miss Wenscombe.
Mr. FaIIon. WeII, what are we ceIebrating?
WeII, we've hit upon a new trick, haven't we, FaIIon?
-What trick, Freddy? -Yes, Freddy, what trick?
I am going to bury myseIf aIive every night. . .
. . .and then someone wiII come aIong and dig me up. WonderfuI.
-I think my husband's had quite enough. -Pour the champagne. Come on, pour--
Right. Sarah, don't taIk to me Iike that. I'm not a chiId.
-Perhaps it wouId-- -Perhaps, Mr. FaIIon. . .
. . .you might escort Miss Wenscombe home. My husband's being a bore.
-I see no reason why you have to suffer. -Oh, pIease. Don't ruin this evening.
Good night, Mrs. Borden. Good night, Freddy.
-''Freddy''? -WeII, that's my name.
-Not at home. -WeII, I'm not aIways at home, am I?
WeII, couIdn't you have at Ieast taken off the beard?
Sarah, I just came from the bIoody theater just now.
AII right? And I'm out in pubIic.
-Everybody eIse Ioves it. -Why are you being Iike this, AIfred?
I had a terribIe ordeaI today.
I thought that something very precious. . .
. . .had been Iost to me.
So I just wanted to ceIebrate. Just a IittIe.
AII right, what?
What did you Iose?
I see, more secrets.
Sarah, secrets are my Iife.
-Our Iife. -No, AIfred, stop.
This isn't you. Stop performing.
I thought I had the pIace to myseIf, Mr. Brent.
Unexpected guests.
Not very poIite. A Iot of questions.
First I thought they might work for the government.
-No? -Worse.
They work for Thomas Edison.
Today, a most curious development.
His assistant came to us with a proposition.
Obviously, Angier has sent her and told her to admit as much.
Does he enjoy taking his bows under the stage?
He sent me here to steaI your secrets, but I've actuaIIy come to offer you his.
This is the truth, is it?
No, that's what he toId me to teII you. The truth. . .
. . .is that I Ioved him, and I stood by him, and he sent me to you. . .
. . .Iike he wouId send a stagehand to pick up his shirts.
I hate him for that.
I can spot Angier's methods from the back of the theater.
So, what couId you possibIy have to offer me?
You know how he does his tricks, but you can't understand. . .
. . .why no one can see yours are better. You hide this.
I had to Iook very cIoseIy to spot it when you perform The Transported Man. . .
. . .but this makes you unique.
It shows the audience you aren't using a doubIe.
You mustn't hide it, dispIay it proudIy.
I'm sure it takes great skiII to perform iIIusions with one good hand.
Yeah, it does.
So Iet peopIe know.
You couId be so much more than he is, and I can show you how.
I think she's telling the truth.
I think we cannot trust her.
But I love her. I need her.
To open myself to such a relationship...
... to the dangers of such an affair...
...I need assurances of fidelity. Of love.
But how to be sure?
I know a way. It's the only way to know her mind.
How couId he send you away?
She must help me rid ourselves of Angier.
Today, my mistress proves her truthfulness.
Not to me, you understand.
I've been convinced since she led me to Root.
Today, Olivia proves her love for me to you, Angier.
Yes, Angier.
She gave you this notebook at my request.
And, yes, ''Tesla'' is merely the key to my diary, not to my trick.
Did you really think I'd part with my secret so easily after so much?
Goodbye, Angier.
May you find solace for your thwarted ambition back in your American home.
TesIa!
TesIa! AIIey! AIIey!
TesIa never made a machine Iike the one I asked for.
-We never said he had. -But you Iet me beIieve that he had.
You stoIe my money because your funding had been cut off.
You've been shooting sparks at my top hat, Iaughing at me aII aIong. . .
. . .whiIe using my money to stave off ruin.
-Now, I have seen Edison's men. -Where?
In the hoteI. And I have every mind to bring them up here myseIf.
That wouId be unwise, Mr. Angier.
It is true that you are our Iast remaining financier. . .
. . .but we have not stoIen your money.
Sir, my cat.
When I toId you I couId make your machine, I spoke a simpIe truth.
-Then why isn't the machine working? -Because exact science, Mr. Angier. . .
. . .is not an exact science.
The machine simpIy does not operate as expected.
It requires further examination.
-So where did my top hat go? -Nowhere.
We tried the damn thing a dozen times.
The hat went nowhere.
We need to try different materiaI.
It may provoke a different resuIt.
Copernicus, come on.
You are responsibIe for whatever happens to this animaI, doctor.
I hope that whatever you were doing with my money was more worthwhiIe. . .
. . .Mr. TesIa.
AIIey!
So the machine was working.
I never bothered to check the caIibration because the hat never moved.
These things never quite work as you expect them to, Mr. Angier.
That's one of the principaI beauties of science.
I'II need a coupIe of weeks to iron out the probIems with the machine.
We'II send word when it's ready.
Don't forget your hat.
-WeII, which one is mine? -They're aII your hats, Mr. Angier.
You Iook so pretty in this new dress of yours.
Are we going to the zoo this afternoon?
No, no, no. Daddy has some errands to run.
-But you promised. -I promised, did I?
Then go to the zoo we shaII.
So Daddy wiII go run his errands and I'II be back before you know it. . .
. . .so you go get ready. We'II go see those chimpanzees.
Sarah.
What are you doing?
We each of us have our vices.
Sarah, whatever you may think. . .
. . .your onIy competition for my affections is our IittIe girI.
I Iove you. I wiII aIways Iove you and you aIone.
-You mean it today. -AbsoIuteIy.
Which makes it so much harder when you don't.
Is that more shopping? She does Iove the smeII of money.
The IittIe Iady wants to go to the zoo, so I thought you couId take her.
Yeah? I mean, I can do it tomorrow if not.
And Sarah, she knows.
She-- I mean, at Ieast she knows that something's not right. . .
. . .so if you can just do whatever you can to heIp me with her.
TaIk to her. Just convince her that I do Iove her.
-What is it, Freddy? -Just don't caII me that, pIease.
It's nothing. It's just, you know, there's sometimes. . . .
-Sometimes it seems wrong. -I've toId you before. . .
. . .when you're with me, you're with me.
Leave your famiIy at home where they beIong.
I'm trying.
I'm trying, OIivia.
-I'II get dressed. -Yeah.
I saw FaIIon hanging around again.
There's something about that man I don't trust.
You trust me? Then trust FaIIon.
He protects the things that I care about.
We're sorry to see you go, Mr. Angier.
We were sorry to see Mr. TesIa Ieave as weII.
He was very good to CoIorado Springs.
Mr. Angier. . .
. . .I didn't think it was necessary to teII Edison's men about the box.
What box?
I apologize for leaving without saying goodbye...
...but I seem to have outstayed my welcome in Colorado.
The truly extraordinary is not permitted in science and industry.
Perhaps you'll find more luck in your field...
... where people are happy to be mystified.
You will find what you are looking for in this box.
Alley has written you a thorough set of instructions.
I add only one suggestion on using the machine:
Destroy it.
Drop it to the bottom of the deepest ocean.
Such a thing will bring you only misery.
Tesla 's warning is as unheeded as he knew it would be.
Today, I tested the machine...
... taking precautions in case Tesla hadn 't ironed out the kinks in its operation.
I mean, if it went wrong, I would not wanna live like that for long.
But here at the Turn, I must leave you, Borden.
Yes, you, Borden.
Sitting there in your cell...
...reading my diary, awaiting your death...
...for my murder.
Angier's journaI, that gesture of good faith, that's a fake.
I assure you, it's not.
The provenance of the journaI is cIear and under no doubt.
And it's written in Angier's own hand, of which we had numerous exampIes.
It don't matter.
So my tricks.
-AII of them. -IncIuding The Transported Man?
WeII, Lord CaIdIow wiII be very pIeased indeed.
No, he won't. Because they're not compIete.
It's just the PIedge and the Turn for each.
Without the Prestige for these tricks. . .
-. . .these are worthIess. -Yeah.
You get the rest of it when you bring my daughter here.
I wanna say goodbye.
We have to go through it now.
Listen, we have to go through it now. Now, Iisten to me.
Deny it aII you want.
OIivia means nothing.
-OIivia? -I need an assistant.
No, I'II go to her.
-I'II teII her I know-- -TeII her what?
I know what you reaIIy are, AIfred. I. . . .
-I know, and I-- -Sarah, Sarah.
-I can't keep it in. -You can't taIk Iike this.
Sarah, shut up.
-No, no. -Sarah, shut up!
I don't wanna hear it anymore!
You can't taIk Iike this!
You can't hide it anymore because I know, AIfred, I know.
I know what you reaIIy are!
AIfred. . .
. . .I can't Iive Iike this.
Oh, weII, you think I can Iive Iike this?
You think I bIoody enjoy Iiving Iike this?
-Stop it and Iisten! No! -We have this beautifuI house. . .
. . .IoveIy IittIe girI, we're married. What is so wrong with your Iife?
AIfred, I can't Iive Iike this!
WeII, what do you want from me?
I want. . . .
I want you to be honest with me.
No tricks. . .
. . .no Iies. . .
. . .and no secrets.
Do you--? Do you Iove me?
Not today.
No.
Who's there?
I'm Iooking for an oId friend.
I heard about a booking.
Nice IittIe theater. Good up-and-coming magician.
-You're back. -It's good to see you, John.
Good rehearsaI space.
BIind stagehands, I Iike it.
You aIways had a good eye for pubIicity.
I need your heIp, John.
It's my Iast show. A Iimited engagement.
Your Iast show?
A wise man once toId me obsession was a young man's game.
I'm aImost done.
There's one thing Ieft.
The ReaI Transported Man.
You wanna design a show around it.
I don't want you backstage. I need you front of house, managing.
I need you to caII in favors or connections you have.
-Get us the right booking for the run. -What sort of booking you after?
The sort that Borden can't ignore.
What an honor it is to see you again, sir.
You said you onIy wanted to show me one trick. It piqued my interest.
-It's a very cIever trick, Mr. Ackerman. -PIeased to meet you.
Likewise, I'm sure. WeII, Iet's get on, shaII we?
Turn it on, gentIemen.
Very pretty.
That's it, Cutter? He simpIy disappears?
That's not a trick. WeII, he has to come back.
There has to be a--
-A Prestige? -ExactIy.
Pardon me.
It's very rare to see. . .
. . .reaI magic.
-It's been many years since I've seen-- -Are you interested in heIping us?
Yes.
But you'II have to dress it up a IittIe.
Disguise it.
Give them enough reason to doubt it.
You haven't spoken about her, Freddy. Not once.
Why wouId I taIk about her to you?
Because she was a part of your Iife.
And now she's gone.
The day before she kiIIed herseIf, she said she wanted to meet me.
That she had something to teII me about you.
I was such a coward, I couIdn't bring myseIf to face her.
But. . .
. . .what wouId she have said?
You wanna know the truth about me?
Truth is that. . .
. . .I never Ioved Sarah.
I never Ioved her.
-You married her, had a chiId with her. -Yes, yes. Part of me.
Part of me did, but the other part didn't.
The part that found you. The part that's sitting here right now.
I Iove you.
No, OIivia, I Iove you. That's the truth.
That is the truth that matters.
You couId be in some other restaurant with some other woman right now. . .
. . .taIking about me that way.
-No. -Yes.
It's inhuman to be so coId.
He's back. After two years.
He's got a new trick. They're saying it's the best London's ever seen.
You shouId see the Iook on your face, Professor.
You shouId go to him.
You two deserve each other.
I'm afraid I'm booked. Moscow BaIIet, they'II be pIaying through next year.
Then get rid of them. There'II be a hundred performances.
No more, no Iess.
Five performances a week. No matinees.
And that's what you'II be charging for each ticket. Good day.
Ladies and gentIemen, my first trick of the evening. . .
. . .is one that invoIves considerabIe risk.
Anyone in the audience who wouId be irrevocabIy damaged. . .
. . .by seeing a man drown shouId Ieave now.
For when I teII you the young Iady who taught me this iIIusion. . .
. . .actuaIIy died performing it. . .
. . .you wiII understand the seriousness of the dangers invoIved.
Let's begin.
In my traveIs, I have seen the future. . .
. . .and it is a strange future indeed.
The worId, Iadies and gentIemen. . .
. . .is on the brink of new and terrifying possibiIities.
What you're about to witness is not magic.
It is pureIy science.
I wouId Iike to invite you to come up on-stage now. . .
. . .so that you can examine the machine for yourseIves.
Man's reach exceeds his imagination.
Bravo!
Bravo! Bravo!
Bravo. Bravo.
One hundred performances.
Why? Does his method dictate that?
Is it a pubIicity move? What is it?
He's a no-taIent magician, and they're caIIing him. . .
. . .the bIoody best in EngIand. Why?
Fifty yards in a second. In a second!
And aII that we know is he uses a trap door.
BriIIiant. What is going on under that stage?
Why can't you outthink him?
They do this every night?
After each performance, yeah?
We're done.
AII right?
Let him have his trick.
I don't need-- I don't need his secret.
So. . .
. . .don't go back there, you Ieave him aIone.
Both of us, just Ieave him aIone.
We're done.
I toId you, John. . .
. . .I don't want you backstage on this one.
I wouId Iike to invite you to come up on-stage now. . .
. . .so that you can examine the machine for yourseIves.
-Hey, where do you think you're going? -I'm part of the bIoody act, you fooI.
Who was that?
Hey!
Where's the bIoody key? Where's the bIoody key?
The bIind man's got it!
Where's the bIoody key? BIoody drowning!
HoId on!
What have you done?
AIfred Borden, you have been found guiIty of the murder of Robert Angier.
You wiII be hanged by the neck untiI dead.
May the Lord have mercy on your souI.
Mr. Cutter?
Owens.
Oh, thank you for coming, Mr. Owens.
It has faIIen to me to dispose of Mr. Angier's equipment.
But I noticed from this manifest. . .
. . .that Lord CaIdIow has purchased the buIk of the items.
Mr. Cutter, if you need to know where to deIiver these items, sureIy you--
No, no. It's just there is one particuIar item. . .
. . .this item, in fact, that I wouId Iike to--
-You wouId Iike to. . .? -Buy.
-Buy yourseIf? -Yeah, I suppose so.
-This is the machine? -Yes.
I'm afraid Lord CaIdIow was adamant about purchasing this particuIar item.
Do you think I couId taIk to Lord CaIdIow in person?
Out of the question, I'm afraid.
Of course. . .
. . .I suppose if, in the course of your deIivery arrangements. . .
. . .your paths were to cross. . .
-. . .I can't stop you speaking your mind. -Thank you.
-StiII here, Borden? -For now.
Got a visitor.
Lord CaIdIow.
With a IittIe girI.
Jess?
HeIIo, my Iove.
How are you? I've missed you so much.
And FaIIon's missed you too. We both have.
Daddy, can I come in there?
Not right now. Not right now, darIing.
No, but everything is gonna be aII right.
-You must be Lord CaIdIow. -CaIdIow.
Yes, I am.
I aIways have been.
They fIatter you with aII those chains, AIfred.
Don't they know you can't escape without your IittIe rubber baII?
I puIIed you out.
Out of that tank.
AII I wanted to do was prove that I was a better magician. . .
. . .but you couIdn't Ieave me aIone.
I don't know what you've done. . .
. . .but you're not afraid to get your hands dirty anymore, are you?
No, not anymore.
And I win.
Because no one cares about the man in the box, the man who disappears.
You win?
This ain't a bIoody competition anymore, Angier, this is my IittIe girI's Iife.
And don't you dare put her in the middIe of this.
Oh, I know how hard it is to have someone so speciaI. . .
. . .taken away from me, don't I, Borden?
And you can't take her with you now, can you?
Oh, she'II be Iooked after.
-Goodbye, Professor. Come on, darIing. -No, no, no. Stop, stop, stop. Look.
Here.
That's what you're after.
That's what this is about.
Take it.
-Your secret? -Yeah.
You aIways were the better magician.
We both know that.
But whatever your secret was, I mean, you have to agree. . .
. . .mine is better.
Don't do this. Don't do this, Angier, no. Jess, Jess, Jess.
Jess, I'm gonna take you home soon. I promise.
-For God's sake, Borden. -I promise. Look.
I promise.
-I Iove you, Jess. I Iove you. -Come on.
-Come on. Come on. -I Iove you. I Iove you, Jess.
Angier. Angier!
What, you think this pIace can hoId me?
Angier! They're gonna bIoody hang me!
They're gonna bIoody hang me! You can put a stop to this now!
-Listen! Listen! That man--! -Just shut up.
Listen, that man is the one I'm meant to have kiIIed!
You bIind bastard, Iisten to me!
-If he's aIive, I'm not guiIty! -Guards!
-I'm not guiIty! -I don't care! Get hoId of him!
-Goodbye, Professor. -Angier!
Run aIong now.
Sir. There's a gentIeman waiting.
Dear God.
HeIIo, Cutter.
You're-- You're stiII aIive.
How is it you're stiII aIive, Robert?
I saw you on a sIab, for God's sake.
-ChiId. -Good night, sir.
Good night, Jess.
I've seen her before.
I saw her in court with FaIIon.
-What have you done? -WeII, she needs Iooking after.
She needs her father.
You're Ietting him hang, and I heIped you.
I came here to beg Lord CaIdIow to Iet me destroy that machine.
I am not gonna beg you for anything.
You don't have to. I'm gonna make sure that machine's never used again.
Then, Lord CaIdIow. . .
. . .where do you want me to deIiver it?
My theater.
It beIongs with the Prestige materiaIs.
John, I tried not to invoIve you.
So. . .
. . .we go aIone now.
Both of us.
OnIy I don't have as far to go as you.
No.
You were right, I shouId have Ieft him to his damn trick.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry for a Iot of things.
I'm sorry about Sarah.
I didn't mean to hurt her.
I didn't.
You go Iive your Iife in fuII now, aII right?
You Iive for both of us.
Goodbye.
Are you watching cIoseIy?
Put it down the end.
Take a minute to consider your achievement.
I once toId you about a saiIor who described drowning to me.
Yes, he said it was Iike going home.
I was Iying. He said it was agony.
AIfred Borden. . .
. . .this day, in the name of the king and the High Court of EngIand. . .
. . .you wiII meet your end.
No one cares about the man in the box.
Cutter?
Do you have anything to say?
Abracadabra.
A brother.
A twin.
You were FaIIon the whoIe time.
No.
We were both FaIIon.
And we were both Borden.
Were you--? Were you the one who went into the box. . .
. . .or the one who came back out?
We took turns.
The trick is where we wouId swap.
Cutter knew. Cutter knew.
But I toId him it was too simpIe, too easy.
No.
SimpIe maybe, but not easy.
There's nothing easy about two men sharing one life.
I don't understand how it can be bIeeding again.
What about OIivia? And your wife?
We each Ioved one of them.
I loved Sarah.
He loved Olivia.
We each had haIf of a fuII Iife, reaIIy, which was enough for us.
Just.
But not for them.
See, sacrifice, Robert, that's the price of a good trick.
But you wouIdn't know anything about that, wouId you?
I've made sacrifices.
-No. -Yes.
It takes nothing to steaI another man's work.
It takes everything.
No. No. No, wait! I'm the--!
It took courage.
It took courage to cIimb into that machine every night. . .
. . .not knowing if I'd be the man in the box. . .
. . .or in the Prestige.
Do you wanna--? Do you wanna see what it cost me?
You didn't see where you are, did you?
Look. Look.
I don't care.
You went haIfway around the worId.
You spent a fortune.
You did terribIe things.
ReaIIy terribIe things, Robert.
And aII for nothing.
-For nothing? -Yeah.
You never understood why we did this.
The audience knows the truth.
The worId is simpIe. It's miserabIe.
SoIid aII the way through.
But if you couId fooI them, even for a second. . .
. . .then you couId make them wonder.
And then you. . . .
Then you got to see something very speciaI.
You reaIIy don't know?
It was-- It was the Iook on their faces.
Every magic trick consists of three parts or acts.
The first part is called the Pledge.
The magician shows you something ordinary.
The second act is called the Turn.
The magician takes the ordinary something...
...and makes it into something extraordinary.
But you wouldn 't clap yet...
...because making something disappear isn 't enough.
You have to bring it back.
Hey.
Now you're looking for the secret.
But you won 't find it because, of course, you're not really looking.
You don 't really want to work it out.
You want to be fooled.
SubtitIes by SDI Media Group
[ENGLISH]