THE ILLUSIONERIST(2006)
| Starring: Edward X. Norton, Hume Jackman, David Bowie Directed by: Christopher Nolan Rating: PG-13 Genre: Drama Other | |
| Review In the late 1800's Jack the Ripper is on the loose and Sherlock Holmes' London has got him! Director Christopher Nolan (The Batman) claims to "solve" the mystery of the man known to London prostitutes as The Ripper" by explaining that Dandy Jack was a magician who disappeared into walls whenever London's finest got to close to his trail. It's all nonsense of course. The Ripper was identified last year by writer Clive Barker as none other than Queen Victoria's paramour Prince Albert (why didn't they make THAT story?) But Nolan's got enough going on to distract us from all the plot idiocy. Edward X. Norton (The World According to X) and Hume Jackman (The Boy from Down Under) are a pair of brothers whose hatred consumes the love of the women who love them until only one of them is left to grapple with the evil David Bowie (The Boy From Under the Earth). Bowie sears the screen with an accent so protean that he could be any of a dozen weirdball Bondian villains bent on bending electricity to their nefarious world-dominating purposes. Does it make sense? Who cares? Nolan's balderdash is a gloomy hoot! If you figure out what was supposed to be going on at the end, drop me a line. | |
