The Illusionist (2006)

The Illusionist rating: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic

IMDb7.5/10· 403K votes

Rotten Tomatoes74%

Metacritic68%

TMDb7.298/10· 5K votes

With 74% on Rotten Tomatoes, backed by 7.5/10 on IMDb and 68/100 on Metacritic, critical reception of this film has been positive.

About The Illusionist

With his eye on a lovely aristocrat, a gifted illusionist named Eisenheim uses his powers to win her away from her betrothed, a crown prince. But Eisenheim's scheme creates tumult within the monarchy and ignites the suspicion of a dogged inspector.

Cast of The Illusionist

• 

  Edward Norton

  as Eisenheim

• 

  Paul Giamatti

  as Inspector Uhl

• 

  Jessica Biel

  as Sophie

• 

  Rufus Sewell

  as Crown Prince Leopold

• 

  Eddie Marsan

  as Josef Fischer

• 

  Aaron Taylor-Johnson

  as Young Eisenheim

• 

  Eleanor Tomlinson

  as Young Sophie

• 

  Jake Wood

  as Jurka

• 

  Tom Fisher

  as Willigut

• 

  Karl Johnson

  as Doctor / Old Man

• 

  Vincent Franklin

  as Loschek

• 

  Nicholas Blane

  as Herr Doebler

The Illusionist facts

Budget

$16.5M

Box office

$87.9M

Our take on The Illusionist

Neil Burger's 2006 drama-fantasy-romance-thriller follows Eisenheim, a gifted illusionist who sets his sights on a lovely aristocrat and uses his uncanny powers to win her from her betrothed, a crown prince. His scheme sows discord within the monarchy and draws the suspicion of a dogged inspector. Set against a candlelit period backdrop, the film weaves stage magic, forbidden love and political intrigue into an elegant, deliberately paced puzzle. It rewards viewers who enjoy atmospheric mystery and don't mind trading spectacle for mood and misdirection. If you like handsome period thrillers where the trick is figuring out the trick, this is a graceful, absorbing choice.