While The Prestige isn’t always listed among Hugh Jackman’s best movies, the underrated thriller proves that we need the star to take on more villain roles. There are few actors who I associate with heroic roles as much as Hugh Jackman. Jackman’s performances as Wolverine cemented his status as a legendary screen superhero, but there are plenty of other roles that reinforce his heroic screen persona. His charismatic portrayal of P.T. Barnum in The Greatest Showman, his put-upon Jean Valjean in Les Miserables, and the sweet rom-com heroes of Paperback Hero and Kate & Leopold all prove Jackman’s heroic bonafides.

As if to further prove this point, Jackman’s rare villainous roles have included some of his biggest flops. Where director Christopher Nolan’s most underrated movies reminded me this isn’t necessarily the case.

The Prestige’s Rupert Angier Is Hugh Jackman’s Best Villain Role

The Wolverine Actor Stuns As Christopher Nolan’s Obsessive Magician

The Prestige is a complicated, morally ambiguous story of two obsessive magicians who set out to destroy each other after their paths cross early on in their stage careers. Jackman’s Rupert Angier is a consummate showman who devotes his life to his craft, while Bale’s mercurial Alfred Borden is a working-class magician whose natural talent leads him to dominate the stage. The Prestige’s twist ending reveals just how much Borden relied on natural talent, while his rival required elaborate stagecraft. Nolan’s movie audaciously reveals Bale’s character had a secret twin all along.

Angier's take on the trick involved cloning himself nightly and killing a clone at each performance.

Thus, Borden’s infamous Transported Man trick was nothing more than a pair of identical twins swapping places. This illusion cost Borden his personal life, as he and his twin lived as the same person for decades to maintain the illusion. However, the same trick cost Angier his soul and his sanity, driving him to innovation and murder as he attempted to replicate the Transported Man. He eventually succeeded, but Angier's take on the trick involved cloning himself nightly and killing a clone at each performance. This, along with framing Borden for his murder, makes Angier The Prestige’s villain.

Hugh Jackman Should Really Play Villains More Often

The Prestige Showcased Jackman’s Considerable Range

While Angier is the worst of the movie's two main characters, Hugh Jackman makes The Prestige’s villain a captivating figure. His performance imbues Angier with the same charm as The Greatest Showman’s Barnum and I ired his dedication to the art of magic despite its personal cost. What makes The Prestige one of Nolan’s best movies is the movie’s study of these two conflicted characters who, in another life, might have been great friends and collaborators. I was wowed by Jackman ensuring Angier never feels like a one-note obsessive villain, instead bringing the audience onside as he struggles to uncover Borden’s secrets.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise considering how good Jackman’s other villainous roles are. Jackman’s scenery-chomping is the highlight of the otherwise painful Chappie and, while he couldn’t single-handedly save the misguided Pan, he is the best thing about the bizarre fantasy/ fairy tale/ musical hybrid. Meanwhile, although far from a traditional villain, his role in 2013’s Prisoners proved to me that Jackman has range to spare. The star is both sympathetic and scary in the role of a suburban father whose vigilantism gets out of hand with tragic consequences.

We Can’t Forget How Versatile Hugh Jackman Is (Despite His Wolverine Return)

The Screen Veteran’s Career Includes More Than Just Heroic Roles

It’s easy to associate Jackman with Wolverine alone, and the actor has earned a place in the pantheon of great comic book movie performances. That said, it is important not to miss out on the star’s range thanks to the popularity of this role. Wolverine’s hard-edged cynicism is one side of Jackman’s screen persona, but the wide-eyed idealism of Barnum is equally compelling. Jackman’s likable Christopher Nolan villain was engaging thanks to his cold, clinical attention to detail, while I found the misguided antihero of Prisoners fascinating thanks to his hot-headed attitude.

The Prestige earned $109 million on a budget of $40 million upon its 2006 release.

Van Helsing saw Jackman play a more traditionally quippy hero, while 2008’s Australia proved the star could headline an Old Hollywood melodrama. Jackman has a versatile screen CV, something that the success of both the Wolverine movies and his collaboration with Nolan proves. The star has weathered his fair share of flops, but I'm glad this allowed him to take on a broader range of roles. The Prestige showed that Hugh Jackman still harbors plenty of potential in darker roles, while the rest of his career marks him out as one of the great blockbuster heroes.