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The Illusionist is rated PG-13 for a scene of strong but non-explicit sexuality and some violence, including an implied offscreen murder and an onscreen suicide. The film also includes numerous séance-like exhibitions that may or may not depict genuine supernatural apparitions, and a four-letter sexual reference.

Photos © Copyright Yari Film Group

© Steven D. Greydanus 2006, subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

It's about a man who falls in love with a woman who becomes engaged to marry a rich and powerful prince. Thus, he must use every trick in his book to ensure that true love wins the day. But instead of challenging the prince with a sword, Eisenheim the magician (Edward Norton) employs some impressive hocus-pocus in order to win the heart of the lovely Sophie (Jessica Biel).

Director Neil Burger has adapted Steven Millhauser's short story "Eisenheim the Illusionist," and the result is impressing some critics.

Harry Forbes (Catholic News Service) calls it "a grippingly atmospheric romantic tale. … We won't spoil the plot, with its several Hitchcockian turns, but suffice it to say, things go awry, and writer-director Neil Burger lets the compelling tale unfold beautifully. … This is cinematic storytelling at its best."

Christian Hamaker (Crosswalk) says, "The Illusionist makes no claim to be a Christian allegory, but Christian viewers will be hard pressed not to pick up on the similarities between certain elements in the life of Christ and the story of Eisenheim … a stage magician. Those similarities, however, are echoes, not strict parallels, and The Illusionist is, in the end, a very well acted telling of a familiar story: a contest between a lovelorn protagonist and a reprehensible villain for the hand of a beautiful maiden."

But he argues that, despite the film's stronger points, it all amounts to "a tepid love story. … Rather than contemplate deeper issues, the story elects to focus on a villainous cretin and his quest to control another person. We've seen this before, and despite the nice performances, the period setting and mind-bending stage tricks, a warmed-over feeling about the plot persists."

Most mainstream critics are pleased as well, especially The Chicago Reader's Jonathan Rosenbaum, who rates it as a masterpiece.

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