82The Prestige (2006)

In this dexterous Nolan brothers’ screenplay, two magicians in Edwardian London are driven into a dark rivalry over their shared obsession with creating the ultimate illusion. Adding to the pleasures of this script, the Nolans included Nikola Tesla from the source novel as a period-accurate player in the drama. Unlike the fictional pair of illusionists, the collaborative brothers say it’s trust that allows them to concoct great scripts. Speaking with the WGAW website, Christopher Nolan explained, “We trust each other, and that’s very good for the writing.”