THE career trajectory of British director Christopher Nolan has been on an impressively steady upwards progression for the past six years or so, ever since his film Memento achieved cult status in 2000.

Cementing his credibility with the excellent Al Pacino vehicle Insomnia, he then completely conquered the world by reinventing Batman for a whole new generation in Batman Begins, earning plaudits from delighted critics as well as big, big box office.

The Dark Knight, the sequel to the latter, which adds Heath Ledger to the mix as The Joker, will be with us in 2008, but for the moment there's The Prestige to see on a chilly November night.

A project which he had planned to do before Gotham's good guy appeared on the scene, it's a tricky tale of magicians that will certainly give you value for money as far as your cinema pound is concerned.

For a start, there's that dream cast - Batman Begins co-stars Christian Bale and Michael Caine are reunited, plus X-Men's Wolverine Hugh Jackman, hot totty Scarlett Johansson, Gollum/King Kong Andy Serkis and, to cap it all, the legendary David Bowie as real-life figure Nikolas Tesla.

Jackman and Bale are rival magicians, who, when we first encounter them, are part of the same set-up, plucked from the audience each evening to help with the on-stage tricks. But then Jackman's young wife (Coyote Ugly's Piper Perabo) is tragically killed during an escape routine as a result, or not, of how Bale tied her hands together.

Blaming his former colleague, Jackman retaliates and so the two enter into an extreme "tit-for-tat" situation, fighting by constantly thwarting each other's plans to prove who is the better magician/showman, which puts both of the men's lives in serious danger.

Film focus Starring: Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine
Director: Christopher Nolan
Running time: 128min
In a word: Intricate
Our verdict: Watch it - perhaps twice!
If you want to know more:

www.theprestige. movies.go.com

I can't say much more than this, given that the plot of The Prestige hangs on a number of big surprises for its audience and a twist or two at the conclusion. It's definitely a film that you will want to see more than once, just to look back and watch it all again with the knowledge of hw the story ends.

I would also advise going to see it when your brain's raring to go, or at least mostly awake, otherwise, come "the prestige" - the reveal of a magic trick, which follows first two stages, "the pledge" and "the turn" - you might be scratching your head in bewilderment. Actually, you may still do that anyway, given how much thought an audience member will potentially expend, thinking it all through as they leave the cinema.

Performances by the leads are superb, although it may take a moment to adjust to Bale's "cockernee" accent, and it's a testament to Nolan's kudos, and to the overall quality of this excellent film, that actors like Johansson and Serkis have been prepared to appear in such small roles.

Nolan's a man with many tricks up his sleeve. For fans of his work, 2008 can't come around soon enough.