Frustrating but Worthwhile If You Can Just Accept & Enjoy
It's not often I'm left unsure of how I feel about something. I think most people much like myself will waver between two opinions--either this movie is needlessly confusing/tedious and the director was just getting off on being clever, or this movie is a fantastic graphic psychological thriller. After having mulled on this for a while though, I've decided that I am in the latter camp.
British director Danny Boyle of "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Trainspotting" has created a world that is both paradoxically grounded in a gritty R rated visual, yet is on a whole different dimension when it comes to the plot and sequencing of events. Much like "Inception," "Trance" can be interpreted several different ways. The time frame of events, what is actually real, and who is "telling" the story are all subject to discussion. Unlike "Memento" where the story is clearly told backwards, it's possible that "Trance" is not linear either backwards or forwards. But at the same time, it could...
High Octane, Visually Powerful and Haunting
Trance (2013) - James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson, Vincent Cassel
Director: Danny Boyle (Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, Sunshine, Slumdog Millionaire, 28 Days Later, and 127 Hours)
Premise: Simon (James McAvoy) is an employee at an auction house in charge of managing and protecting expensive paintings. When his auction house comes under attack by Franck (Vincent Cassel) and his henchmen, Simon is struck in the head and forgets the location of the painting. After Simon's release from the hospital, Franck is determined to jog his memory - taking him to a professional hypnotist (Rosario Dawson) to recover the painting.
Thoughts: This film is quintessential Danny Boyle - break neck pace, stirring visuals, frenetic style at times and brimming with ambition. The film's story is layered with hypnotic sequences which overlap with real sequences. At times, the film can be a bit murky and confusion, mirroring Simon's own state of confusion after the attack - as the...
4 1/2 stars for this excellent twisty thriller
This has been a pretty good year already with twisty psycho-dramas. Following on the heels of the earlier "Side Effects," Danny Boyle shifts his directing gears from "127 Hours" and "Slumdog Millionaire" to this confusing thriller.
Simon (James McAvoy) works for a high end auction house that specializes in expensive art. The real expensive kind. During an attempted heist headed by Franck (brilliant Vincent Cassel), Simon tries to safeguard the most expensive work, a Goya, but is hit in the head by the butt end of Franck's rifle. He lands in the hospital and when he recovers, has amnesia regarding the events.
As it turns out Franck and company only got an empty frame. Franck searches Simon's house and car but comes up empty. He then tortures poor Simon. When that doesn't work, they hire a hypnotherapist played by Rosario Dawson in an award-worthy performance. As a veteran of these type films filled with false leads and premises, I can usually get close to...
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