Trance

An art auctioneer suffers amnesia when a robbery of a Goya masterpiece went wrong. A hypnotherapist was recruited to jog the memory out of him. Thus begins the multi-layered puzzle that is "Trance". I could not say more about the story as this remains for you to watch the unfolding of each scene that complicates the one before it.

Danny Boyle was very much in the news in the past few years because of his "Slumdog Millionaire" as well as his London Olympics gig. Now he returns to the big screen directing this Rubik's cube of a film, and that itself makes this film an event to witness.

James McAvoy plays Simon, the art auctioneer with a huge gambling debt caught in a bigger web, with the necessary cluelessness and helplessness. In fact, I could imagine Boyle's "trainspotting" discovery Ewan McGregor in this role had it been done ten years ago.

Rosario Dawson lends her exotic appeal as hypnotherapist Elizabeth Lamb. It was her character that provides this film that complex structure which would keep the audience wondering which is reality and which is just a trance. She was credible, treading that delicate balance between good and bad, realistically keeping the two other male characters guessing at her real intentions. Her brave moment of frontal nudity was key to how the story turns, not gratuitous.

Vincent Cassel plays Franck, the ruthless mastermind of the art heist. His character would have been a one-dimensional bad guy in a lesser actor's hands. Here Cassel gives Franck another level of what seems to be vulnerability, or then again, maybe not.

Fans of film noir, of films that make you think, will enjoy "Trance". I am sure many fans of this film will watch it again to try and get it the second or third time around. Boyle has given us "Inception" without the grand special effects. So good. Must-watch.

James Mcavoy is back on form after the dismal Welcome To The Punch. He is Simon who works for a fine art auction house, where one of his duties is to whisk away to a deep vault the most valuable artwork in the event of any attempted robbery. Of course their is a robbery, masterminded by Franck played by Vincent Cassels, the only problem is he has stolen a picture frame but no canvas. Simon is hit on the head during the robbery causing amnesia and cannot remember what happened to the canvas. Franck isn't too chuffed about this so employs Elizabeth - Rosario Dawson a hypnotist to delve into Simon's mind to find where he may have secreted the artwork.

For at least the first half I was gripped by the plot and characters plus Boyles camera work is spot on as always. I did however feel completely puzzled at one point when the plot seemed to zig-zag a bit too much and I began to wonder whether I had lost concentration. I wasn't being dim however because at this point one of the characters explains (in flashback) what's going on.

Although an adequate enough watch this was for me a below par Boyle movie. But I suppose with a back catalogue including two of my top ten films he can be excused for not 'hitting a coconut every time'. Overall I was not disappointed to have caught the bus to view this and neither should you be. If you are a Boyle fan just lower your expectations a little.

The first 40 minutes, I was excited & impressed. I like James McAvoy, I think he's a really good & charismatic actor. And Vincent Cassel, in my opinion, always delivers. The movie pumps you up with an intriguing storyline, flashy & artsy camera shots & angles, thrilling scenes backed up with a really good musical score. Then enter Rosario Dawson. It has been a steady downward spiral from that point on. No, it's not because of her, although I thought she looked a bit tired 90 % of the film. It's the plot and the shameful use of hypnotherapy as the driving force of the whole movie. Hypnotherapy as the structure of the movie? That makes the plot shaky at best. The moment Rosario inserted herself in the scheme I found myself shaking my head more and more.

Trance almost had everything that makes a movie work. Good cast, great direction, interesting cameraworks, good editing, stylish neo-noir execution, and really great music. Unfortunately, like poor Tin Man without the heart and The Lion without courage, this one has a weak script which essentially takes away the soul of the movie. It's a classic case of style-over-substance, easily disguised as a mind-bending intellectual movie with the use of "is this real?" sequences, change of perspective, and thrill rides, that can masterfully dupe the audience into thinking that they're watching Leo with a Spotless Mind.

Danny Boyle has style, that's for sure, but he should have given equal attention to the plot as he did to his camera shots & artsy vibe of the whole film. It's not at all bad, the music and style is enough reason to enjoy this movie and send you in a 100-minute trance-like state, but after the credits roll, like a snap of a finger, you wake up after that trippy ride, shake your head, look around, and mutter, "Seriously?"

From directing Bollywood, Sci-fi and Zombie flicks, to action thrillers to the London 2012 Olympics, Danny Boyle is the most versatile director in the industry. Currently at the top of his game, Boyle directed Trance parallel to the Olympics on the same shooting schedule in the same weeks (literally!). In interviews he said relative to the Olympics that Trance is the 'dark cousin of the Olympics'. Boyle brings us a character-based, twisty thriller, just like the ones from the 1990's that launched his career.

Trance is introduced with a Scorsese sprint-heist, where Simon (James McAvoy) is an inside man on stealing a £27,000,000 Goya painting from his job at an auction. When Simon double crosses his partner Franck (Vincent Cassell) he suffers a strike to the head, leaving him with amnesia. In order to find out where he hide the painting he must take hypnosis sessions to revive his memory. But as lines blur and hypnotic suggestion takes over, the situation gets darkly complex.

Keeping you indulged for its entire one-hundred and seventeen minutes running time the film is imperatively based on narrative. Forget CGI and the rest. To make a good film use the three things that Hitchcock says is essential in film-making, 'the script, the script and the script'. Boyle does this wondrously.

While Boyle assembled his old gang behind the camera, in front of it, they're all new faces for the film-maker, and they all rise to the occasion. Vincent Cassel at first seems to have the least interesting part of the film. The same sort of character he has played in the Ocean movies. Meanwhile other cast members such as James McAvoy and Rosie Dawson give the best performances of their careers. McAvoy in fact has never been so good. Appearing in two films on this months release (also Welcome To The Punch). He breaks his character type and shows his malevolence.

The film is a trippy heist thriller. Think Fight Club, Inception, Memento and The Sixth Sense and the style of story and endings. Trance is no exception. Even as we left the cinema other audience members where throwing around the Nolan word. But this film does seem like it has earnt the comparison. Compiled with complex script flips and twists the film is all solved in the final act, much like Nolan's films.

Having earnt its deserved rating of 15 the violence and excessive swearing are throughout. And all of the three of the main cast are seen at one point of the film both naked and abused. Interesting, eh? This is one film that should not be missed. Released tomorrow (March 26th 2013) this film is highly recommended.

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Danny Boyle returns to his mind boggling roots, such as Sunshine and 28 Days Later, with Trance. Trance has a thought provoking concept that might bring some memorable mind blowing amazement on screen. It shows its high concept pretty well and it lets the audience fascinate from start to finish. Further on, the story develops a strange twist which leads to an awkward conclusion. Despite all odds, the film is thankful to have Boyle creating a brisk style throughout the experience and a set of brilliant performances making it more than entertaining. It's a little disappointing, but most of the film is really worth watching.

The plot is simple, but the idea beneath it is what makes it sound more than just simple. It begins with a stylishly shot heist sequence that gives so much promise to the picture. It gets even more interesting when it introduces its hypnosis. It shows plenty of smart ideas to it. There are some point that may remind you of Inception but the film also finds some clever ways to make it look unique. It eventually becomes twisted and tells some unpredictable revelations. Twisted and unpredictable are good until the sudden plot twist comes along. It shifts from dangerous to ridiculous. Well, mind bending films are best when it makes no sense at first then it lets you try to put the pieces together afterwards, but the random involvement of one character to the core conflict of the story is somehow exasperating.

There is no denying that the performance are great. James McAvoy finely balances his character's fear, rage, and charisma. Rosario Dawson is graceful enough for a hypnotherapist. One of the best here is Vincent Cassel. His character is generally suppose to be unlikeable but Cassel manages to be terrifying and so much fun to watch.

We may complain about its weaker parts but it's still extremely entertaining. To be honest, this is probably Danny Boyle's snazziest film he has ever made so far. Though, there are better Boyle films out there, this one seems to be more energetic, and smartly shot and edited. His sense of style brings camp and surrealism that feels like you're in a perfect zone of trance. There are sequences that are simply magnificent which makes you just want to look around the exteriors, like a piece of art. The music score and soundtrack fits through the fanciness of the film.

Trance embraces the point of being mind bending. It plays with your mind enough which is already a remarkable merit, it just could have been simpler in the end. The twist indeed affects a lot to what it was set up, but the best parts still took over the experience. The film's awesome craft and trippy effects immediately spellbind the viewers. It would have been a classier fabulous thriller. It's difficult to forgive its far-fetched conclusion, but again it is a snazzy piece of manic art by Danny Boyle that is definitely a cinematic joy.