Review of Death Defying Acts (2007) by Nikolai E — 01 Feb 2009

Of course no film fares well when placed in the same sub-genre as 'The Prestige,' but there are a few interesting notions floating around in this film, and I'd watch Guy Pearce read a phone book, so the thing at least had potential.

It's mired in problems however, foremost of which is a complete lack of faith in the audience's intelligence or literacy. I watched in disbelief as a plot point was delivered via a badly faked old-timey newsreel with title cards that were read aloud by a character, only to see the same plot point repeated in the very next scene via a newspaper-research montage, with each headline again read aloud by a character.

To me, a film about professional illusionists spells subtlety, but every scrap of that fleeting substance has been razed from this production. I don't know why the actors bother with perfectly appropriate knowing glances when the narrator is just going to give us the Coles notes on every scene seconds later.

And tell me this, how does a woman whose stated goal is to mercilessly con a man out of ten thousand dollars get morally offended when someone suggests she's a gold digger? Tepid.