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Our take
A twisty period drama follows two magicians whose rivalry hardens into obsession and sabotage. It plays dark and brooding, with a handful of sudden deaths, a drowning on stage, and lives quietly ruined by jealousy. Swearing is mild and nothing sexual is shown, though affairs and a tragic loss sit inside the story. Most teens around 13 and up will keep up with its slow, puzzle-box unfolding.
Uplifting themes
The film lands as a warning about obsession, showing how low two clever men will stoop just to beat each other. There is little to cheer here, but a lot to turn over about ambition and the price it exacts Victorian stage magic and a fictionalised take on the inventor Nikola Tesla lend the story a little historical flavour. The touch is light, though curious viewers may well go digging for more
Story (may spoil tone)
A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy -- full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences.
What we flagged
Details
Violence Their feud turns deadly, with a drowning on stage, a shooting, and a de…
Their feud turns deadly, with a drowning on stage, a shooting, and a death that frames the whole plot. The harm is usually quick and not lingered over, but the stakes are real and people get hurt. A caged bird is killed as part of a trick
Language Rough language stays very mild and occasional, with the odd damn slippi…
Rough language stays very mild and occasional, with the odd damn slipping out in a frustrated moment. Nothing harder than that turned up, so it is barely worth weighing here
Sex / nudity Affairs and a mistress feed into the rivalry, and a line or two points…
Affairs and a mistress feed into the rivalry, and a line or two points to characters sleeping together. There is kissing and romantic tension, but nothing explicit is shown and there is no nudity
Drugs / alcohol One character is often drunk as part of his act, and heavy drinking in…
One character is often drunk as part of his act, and heavy drinking in the theatre world is both discussed and shown. It is threaded through the story and never dressed up as glamorous
Frightening A gloomy Victorian air hangs over everything, and the electrical experi…
A gloomy Victorian air hangs over everything, and the electrical experiments and a backstage drowning carry a cold unease. None of it is staged as outright horror, though a couple of moments turn tense and sad
Self-harm / suicide A woman's death by suicide comes up after the fact, and a risky trick g…
A woman's death by suicide comes up after the fact, and a risky trick gets called as good as suicide. It all stays in the dialogue, with no method shown, though the grief left behind is clearly felt
Gore / death / weapons A body is lifted from a water tank, and a little blood shows around an…
A body is lifted from a water tank, and a little blood shows around an injury and a gunshot. Death is part of the story here, but the camera keeps the detail fairly light
Dangerous behaviour The famous bullet-catch trick is played as genuinely risky, with talk t…
The famous bullet-catch trick is played as genuinely risky, with talk that people really have died attempting it. Curious kids should hear that stage illusions depend on hidden safety work and are not something to copy at home
Grief / bereavement Loss powers the whole story, as one magician never gets over his wife's…
Loss powers the whole story, as one magician never gets over his wife's death and lets grief set into obsession. The ache of what people lose, and what they throw away chasing a trick, runs deep
Flashing lights We have not confirmed whether this version contains flashing lights.
We have not confirmed whether this version contains flashing lights.
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Talk after watching
- Both magicians sacrifice almost everything to win. When does ambition tip over into something harmful?
- The film keeps secrets from the audience until the end. How did the twists change the way you saw each man?
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