i side with Borden because he has a daughter...and Angier seems to be driven more by greed and vengeance

talli wrote:i side with Borden because he has a daughter...and Angier seems to be driven more by greed and vengeance

Yea Hugh's wrath after his wife's death really corrupted him.... similiar to what happened to Harvey Dent

I sided with Angier first, but then the turning point was when Angier became cold and distant (He does so because of him trying to distance himself from the guilt of killing his clones)
But I only emphasised with Borden when it was revealed that one of him still loves his wife and daughter.

In the fact we switch our empathies, the audience are pretty much in Cutter's shoes (since he switches alligences).

BlairCo wrote:

Angier is the one we trust in the beginning, but by the end, we see that his travels and motivations are based solely on self-fishness and perfection; he wanted to destroy Borden. It was harder on Borden because he had to live two lives and balance two relationships, one with a child. By the end, Angier got what he deserved.

Full spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen it and wandered into this thread for no reason:

You guys seem to be forgetting- Bordon was the catalyst of the majority of the problems in the film. He arrogantly tied a not he was adamantly told not to, however his wife condoned it too. He still did it. That alone is enough to drive some men to despair, losing the love of your life because some arrogant ass can't follow simple advice? That's hugely devastating.

Additionally, Bordon and his brother basically each took turns playing the different roles so nobody would catch on necessarily, that was the trick obviously. So, he was advocating the intense fighting with his wife, he was advocating cheating, he was advocating fighting in front of his daughter. You guys talk about how he still loved his daughter, but in the end, he prioritized his craft above his wife and family by a huge degree. That's not to say he didn't love them, or they*, didn't, just that his actions need to be fully taken into account. On the surface, he's a more sympathetic character, but he brought this on himself as he only fueled Angier's obsession and anger instead of letting it go.

Most importantly- Bordon only was put in prison and sentenced to jail because he couldn't let go of a need for the secret, it was happenstance that put him in jail, I never thought it was deliberate on Angier's part. For Angier to expose himself would mean explaining his own actions which would be ...difficult.

Basically, they're both incredibly layered and complex individuals with dark impulses, but it's difficult to say which is worse on several fronts.

-Vader

Its also worth noting that Angier (Lord Caldlow) came from a wealthy family, which explained the cultural capital advantage that made him a way better showmen than Bordon. The Bordons were poor "I know you're no stranger to the workhouse" - Owens. Something to definitely keep in mind when picking sides.

Just doing the last touch up on my Prestige essay but anyway, they both play a half of a perfect artist.. and both really not very good human beings. I always sided with Borden though, cos I find his willing to sacrifice for his art much more appealing. Angier was looking for the easy way out, of course only at the end he realized it wasn't 'like going home'. But his showman-ship always felt too much like vanity to me.

I side with Cutter every time.

Z. Cobb wrote:I side with Cutter every time.

Not with Sarah ?