Oh, you're too good for the pull-my-finger trick: "The Illusionist"

You gotta see "The Illusionist," my friend Louie said. It's amazing. It's incredible.

Guess what? Louie was wrong.

Oh, the movie was OK, but young master Lou now has confirmed his place in the Ebert Hall of Fame, where bad is good, passable is great and decent is four stars (highest rating).

I blame Edward Norton, on whom Louie has a well-known man crush. How else to explain his gushing reviews for "The 25th Hour," another merely OK movie? Hey, I like Norton, too. Not just "Primal Fear" -- his "wow" debut -- but "Rounders," "Fight Club" and even "The Score" all showed off his serious chops. Still haven't seen "American History X," but I understand that adds to Eddie's resume of prime roles.

Norton's good in "The Illusionist," too, as ... well, an illusionist in turn-of-the-century Vienna who dazzles crowds and has his eye on a women who he once loved as a young boy. Now all growns up, the woman (Jessica "I've looked hotter" Biel), unfortunately also is the target of the affections of the crown prince (Rufus Sewell), who wants to be the Big Cheese in the Empire. All the while, the local police inspector (the unparalleled Paul Giamatti) tries to find out how the illusionist makes with all the magic.

The tricks are generally fun, and we occasionally get a look at how Norton's character pulls them off. (As IMDB shares, Norton did many of his own tricks. Of course. The guy's a stud.) The cat-and-mouse game between him and Giamatti is pretty good, mainly because these are two guys who really can act. Sewell isn't bad, either, although it's a pretty one-note role and I kept being reminded of Joaquin Phoenix in "Gladiator." One other plus: Everything looks good, from the costumes to the street and theater sets.

Like I said, not bad ... but not great, either. First, I wasn't at all surprised by the outcome. Second, I thought there should have more explanation of how everything worked out, even if I knew what was going to happen in the end. Does that make sense? It's kind of like -- yes -- a magic trick. Much more interesting than watching someone make something float in the air is figuring out how he did it. Yet in "The Illusionist," the look behind the scenes of the ultimate trick was lacking. I don't want to say more for fearing of giving anything away, but let's say I was left with a big "That's it?" feeling.

This certainly didn't kill the movie, but it did keep it from being anything more than decent matinee fare or a film people will talk about for months on end. Well, unless your name is Louie.