繼05'的【Batman Begins】後,小貝隔年又再次與諾藍合作了【The Prestige】,改編自Christopher Priest 95'出版的同名小說(中文版:奇術師/小知堂)
,【頂尖對決】是我覺得難得一次與原名無關、但卻取得恰到好處的中文片名(鼓掌)~
三分鐘講故事:
Borden波登(小貝飾)和Angier安杰(休傑克曼飾)兩人原本同是魔術師學徒,卻因波登疏失、表演中害死安杰老婆,兩人從此反目成仇...兩人各自出道成為魔術師,安杰擁有舞台魅力、卻技巧平庸,反之波登技巧高超但拙於表演;
安杰身邊有道具師Cutter柯特(米高肯恩飾)協助、波登則有摯友Fallon法隆陪伴 ...
既生瑜、何生亮,兩個男人的算計、鬥爭在倫敦城熱烈上演著。
波登有個獨門絕活"The Transported Man/移形遁影術"、可以瞬間位移,安杰始終參不透,於是找來替身copy這魔術、卻被波登破壞;某次安杰綁架法隆、脅迫波登交出移形遁影術秘訣...安杰循著波登的線索找上科學家Tesla泰斯拉(大衛鮑伊飾),要求打造跟波登一模一樣的機器,沒想到泰斯拉實驗中的機器,並無法讓人或東西瞬間位移,反而是台複製機、可複製出一模一樣的人/物,擁有這台機器的安杰,利用它來執行了許多場不道德的魔術表演,並且陷害波登為殺人案死刑犯。
波登死刑執行完成、正當安杰以為自己取得勝利時,波登最後的秘密揭開、將了安杰一軍,原來波登與法隆兩人是形影不離的雙胞胎,波登即是法隆、法隆即是波登,雙胞胎共用一個身分、導致老婆自殺、情人離開,這是波登式自我犧牲;而安杰每變一次魔術、都必須泯滅良知、殺死一個自己的複製人,兩個人都以各自的方式為魔術犧牲奉獻,但安杰的方式過激又邪惡,既然波登B已因謀殺安杰複製人而被吊死,那麼最後安杰本人就由波登A來殺死以示公平了。
波登與安杰,難得同一部電影的兩個男人讓我覺得沒曖昧感啊~
小貝:也許是因為我們hate each other吧!(笑~)
一開場柯特講了這段精彩的台詞:
Every great 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 if it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But of course... it probably isn't. 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 want to 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".
每場魔術表演都有三步驟。第一個步驟是[以虛代實],魔術師會秀出真實的東西,一副牌、一隻鳥或一個人,讓你看這樣東西、叫你檢視它,看它的確是真的、平常的不得了,但是、其中一定有假。第二個步驟是[偷天換日],魔術師利用平常的東西、做出另人嘆為觀止的表演,你想要找出其中的秘訣、但你絕對找不到,因為你根本沒有真正在看、你並不是真的想知道、你想要被騙。但你還不會鼓掌、因為光是把東西變不見還不夠、你必須把它變回來。所以魔術都有第三個步驟、最難的步驟、我們稱之為[化腐朽為神奇]。