Neil Burger’s “The Illusionist” watches like something you’d read in a Sherlock Holmes novel. Much of its sensibility is kept in a period that feels almost as if Holmes and his assistant Watson will enter the scene in any instance to help solve the case of the magician and the ghostly Duchess. That’s probably why I loved “The Illusionist” so much. It’s gorgeous, yet simple. It’s quiet yet really manages to keep the audience in constant awe. It’s a prize package, something I usually expect from the likes of Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, and Rufus Sewell respectively. Norton is an actor I admire consistently, because when he wants to, he can belt out a wonderful performance for the screen. This man prospers in the face of awful movies, and flourishes in the face of wonderful dramas like “The Illusionist.”

When an old love comes back into Eisenheim’s life, he is intent on winning her back from the evil Prince Leopold, and does so by defying his authority and constantly belittling him. But when the duchess appears murdered, Uhl attempts to discover who did it and why. Was it Eisenheim, who couldn’t face that winning her would mean dire consequences, or was it someone altogether? Burger’s fantasy becomes a murder mystery and one that sports plot twists, and a surprise ending, and it’s an invariable magic trick that you think you’ll have pegged, yet you’ll find you’ll always be in awe.

Burger’s marvelous crime drama aspires to constantly keep us in suspense, and does so with old fashioned film devices, and keeps the genuine turn of the century atmosphere a constant. Burger’s film is a verbose and utterly elaborate mystery that unfolds gradually and delves deeper into these characters psyches to bring us in tighter on the murder and leave us to ponder on the crime and draw our own conclusions. Is Uhl trying to uncover the crime, or what looks like a vast charade? If so, how can one man conduct such a large charade? Why the ploy? Who murdered the duchess? Is Uhl intent on cracking the case for justice, or for the same morbid curiosity that draws him to magic and Eisenheim?

How can he break this case without betraying his duties and ruining his career? Burger’s screenplay keeps audiences guessing again and again, and it’s complimented by wonderful performances from the cast. Paul Giamatti is quaint as this unlikely hero who seeks only to perform his duties, yet can’t help sympathize with Eisenheim, while Norton is, as usual, nothing short of stellar. “The Illusionist” is a wonderful hat trick, one filled with surprises, and wonderful performances, and it’s one that’s hard to top.

Burger's "The Illusionist" is an immaculate and utterly gorgeous murder mystery with the trifecta of wonderful direction, great acting, and a plot that twists and turns at every such occasion.

• Edward Norton did many of his own magic tricks, with the coaching of James Freedman. He worked with Edward Norton preparing him for his stage performances and acted as a hand double in numerous situations.

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