5. The Prestige (2006)

Filmmakers are like magicians. Both practice deception and illusion entwined with vision. One year after blowing up the box office with Batman Begins, Nolan reunited with Christian Bale and Michael Caine and mused over this parallel with The Prestige. Based on the 1995 novel by Christopher Priest, the movie follows rival magicians (Bale and Hugh Jackman) in an escalating and eventually lethal game of one-upmanship in late Victorian London.

Nolan goes meta with the help of Caine, who narrates in character (as a stage engineer and pseudo-mentor to the main protagonists) and verbally outlines the three-act execution of a magician’s – and filmmaker’s – “magic trick.” No spoilers, but even the first five minutes are deceptive, making repeat viewings both rewarding and almost necessary. Years on, out of all of Nolan’s films, The Prestige has mysteriously fallen off most people’s memories. But it deserves recognition as one of Nolan’s better offerings, being an overall magnificent production for grown-ups that illuminates the director’s increasing maturity and refinement of his voice at the studio level. The Prestige may be one big bag of tricks, but don’t say you weren’t fooled.