It is shown through the lives of two rival magicians - Robert Angier aka 'The Great Danton' and Alfred Borden aka 'The Professor'. Each of them is obsessed about bettering the other and is always looking for the next stunning act.
'The Transported Man' of Borden becomes 'The New Transported Man' from Angier before Angier's final act 'The Real Transported Man' which is dangerous and unbelievable. The lengths to which Angier goes to get the machine which he uses for this act is truly obsessive.
The rivalry between scientists Thomas Alva Edison and Nikola Tesla is another minor plot. The world of science and engineering travels parallel to the world of magic.
As Michael Caine (ingenieur Cutter) says in the movie "obsession is a young man's game", both the rivals are truly obsessed and driven to outsmart each other. The women in Angier and Borden's life meet with unfortunate ends and Borden's ingenieur Fallon has a major role in the movie as revealed in the twist in the end which is truly a suspension of belief.
Even if you are seeing the movie for a second or third time, when you come to know the truth behind Fallon and Borden, it is jaw dropping. As these scenes play out, you wonder what sort of a director Christopher Nolan is. It is just a simple trick but the way he presents it makes you wonder.
The repercussions of the machine which we see early in the movie through the hats and cats, is revealed again in the end in a shocking little moment before the end credits roll.
The movie is dark, grim and the look and feel of the movie also echoes the same. The music is minimal and the film is driven by the concept and the class actors in the movie such as Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall.
FINAL WORD: One of a kind movie about the fascinating world of magic. It's gripping all the way with never a slack moment.
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