Plot
An art auctioneer who has become mixed up with a group of criminals partners with a hypnotherapist in order to recover a lost painting.
Release Year: 2013
Rating: 7.6/10 (1,626 voted)
Director:Danny Boyle
Storyline
A fine art auctioneer mixed up with a gang joins forces with a hypnotherapist to recover a lost painting. As boundaries between desire, reality and hypnotic suggestion begin to blur the stakes rise faster than anyone could have anticipated.
Filming Locations: Victoria and Albert Museum, South Kensington, London, England, UK
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia: Scarlett Johansson, 'Melanie Thierry', Eva Green and Zoe Saldana were considered for the role that went to Rosario Dawson. See more »
User Review
Boyle Sending Audiences Into A Trance
Rating:
2012 was the year that Danny Boyle became a national hero for many in
his domestic Britain after masterminding a stunning opening ceremony of
the Olympics. Seemingly able to satisfy even the sternest of sceptics
with a rabid display of flair and flamboyance, he became elevated to a
hallowed level of reverence. In the weeks that followed, he seemed to
acquire an approval rating that most politicians would have gawped at,
green eyed with envy. He stands tall as an icon of the every man, with
an unaffected regional accent and amiable demeanour, with a dose of
easy going charm. Beneath this genial appearance is a voracious talent
that is testament to many years of hard work alongside any natural
ingenuity. Lauded with plaudits and success, it would appear he can do
no wrong. Or can he?
Returning to his day job, Boyle re-enters the film arena with Trance, a
London-based psychological thriller that rushes around with about as
much calm and patience as an ADHD sufferer. He has said that he was
finishing this project whilst he was working on the Olympic opening
ceremony, and that this should be viewed as its 'dark, evil cousin'.
Starring Vincent Cassel, James McAvoy and Rosario Dawson, Trance
undertakes a card shuffling roll call of sympathy and understanding.
Early on, McAvoy's Simon misplaces a valuable painting. Under the
persuasive encouragement of Cassel's band of criminals, he ends up
seeking the counsel and help of hypnotist, Elizabeth (Dawson), to
retrace his steps. Although the backdrop for the film is that of a
common theme; a heist, it is merely window dressing for what is an
indeed dark and, heck, schizophrenic joyride into the mind.
With a nodded cap to the disorientating freewheeling narrative of
Nolan's Memento, this film glides along a bumpy path. It takes pleasure
in scrutinising the tricks and tics of memory. Boyle plays chess with
the players and moves them around with the devilish glee of a
ringmaster induced with the cruel egomaniacal urge of a cartoon
villain. You can almost hear the grind of his hands rubbing together as
he plots each skittish twist and turn. This is aided, helpfully, by Joe
Aherne's source material and the screenplay's joyfully itchy nature.
The film also has echoes of Inception. But with added sex.
Daring to make this an adult film and not dilute it in order to make it
accessible for a wider and broader audience, he does not eschew from
graphic and explicit depictions. He performs with the cinematic frisson
of a British Tarantino, but without Quentin's fondness for a baggy
screenplay. Having said that, and although such comparisons make for
neat phrases for critics to write, Danny Boyle is very much his own
man. His films are all underpinned by his stylistic stamps of
authorship. In fact, as it tends to be a defining quality of all of
Boyle's films, this one does not disappoint in its assault on the
senses. The thumping soundtrack plays havoc on the ears and the fast
cuts fix into the eyes with the precision of a laser beam.
Not everything is welcomed wholeheartedly and with open arms, however.
As much as the virtues of Trance are easy to spot and identify, it is
also somewhat flawed. So much emphasis seems to be placed on tripping
the audience (in every possible sense) that the film renders itself a
little distant to the sense of touch. The characters are slippery and
the consequence of such skillful toying with the assumed integrity (or
lack thereof) of the protagonists leads inevitably to an arms space
from empathy.
In addition to this, the relentlessly florid displays of directorial
showmanship makes the pacing a little too one-sided. So persistent is
the pace that the runtime feels a little longer than the 101 minutes
that it forms and you may well emerge exhausted as the lights come up.
Maybe the frenetic nature of Trance is a deliberate counterpoint to the
relative stasis of 127 Hours. As it stands, this film zips along at a
speed that would make even Usain Bolt baulk and cower with fear.
Any quibbles mentioned do not deviate the bottom line verdict. This
film is, on balance, a mighty success. It may not be as charming and
lovable as the Oscar garnering Slumdog Millionaire, but it is a
relentlessly entertaining thrill ride. It stands as an hour and forty
minutes at a cinematic equivalent of the best theme park you could
name. Hold on tight and buckle in.
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