by MATTHEW HAYS

Ed Norton was one of the busiest actors in Hollywood a few years ago, until he committed a disappearing act. Now he’s reappeared in a series of films, including The Illusionist, an odd little period film about a lower-class magician working in old Vienna.

Norton plays a magician extraordinaire, a man who can make flowers appear to grow on stage, a man whose reputation grows as he astonishes crowds with his seemingly boundless powers. (I had no idea they’d perfected CGI so well in that period—incredible what you can learn from movies.) But then comes the complication: romance. Norton is smitten with a gorgeous blonde lass (Jessica Biel) who is already spoken for (alas, she’s attached to a nasty prince played by Rufus Sewell).

The prince is so pissed off at this nasty, poor magician getting so much attention that he attempts to discredit him at every turn. But this backfires, with Norton upping the magical ante, pulling even bigger rabbits out of his hat and wowing larger crowds. Biel is caught in the middle. Now, I’ll give you three guesses: who should she choose—the nasty rich guy who’s soulless, or the fancy magician with no money but a heart of gold (and plenty of magic acts to keep you entertained on rainy days)?

The prince soon becomes so furious at the escalating romance that Biel shows up dead. Enter Paul Giamatti, the Viennese chief inspector who must solve the crime. Norton is furious with the inspector, as it seems obvious that the prince must have dealt the lethal blow. But the prince has clout, and the ancestors of Michael Jackson’s defense team backing him, so can no doubt get away with whatever he wants. The solving of this mystery makes up The Illusionist’s final act.

The Illusionist has its fun moments, and Norton is always fine. But the romance felt much like Titanic without the boat. Ultimately, The Illusionist left me feeling much like I do after most real-life magic acts: cold.

The Illusionist opens Friday, August 18

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