Christian Bale’s magician character in Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige is named Alfred Borden.
Borden is a talented stage magician whose professional rivalry with Robert Angier drives the film. Hugh Jackman plays Angier, while Bale portrays Borden as a performer willing to protect the secret of his greatest illusion at extraordinary personal cost.
The film deliberately makes identity and secrecy central to its structure. Borden’s personal life, his relationship with Sarah, and the competing accounts in the characters’ diaries all contribute to the mystery surrounding his performances.
The Prestige was adapted from Christopher Priest’s novel and released in 2006. Its cast also includes Scarlett Johansson as Olivia Wenscombe, Rebecca Hall as Sarah Borden, David Bowie as Nikola Tesla, and Michael Caine as John Cutter.