Trance

The film's not merely content with being a twisty psycho-thriller. Boyle and Hodge expertly tweak and tinker with your sympathies, and the characters you initially peg as heroes and villains may not be in the same place by the time things wrap up.

Sprinting to the edge of preposterousness and back, this deliriously entertaining day-glo noir of fried brains and blown fuses denotes a director at the top of his game.

The film draws out Danny Boyle's less dazzling commercial side, not to mention his penchant for whirling excess.

Individually, Dawson and Cassel each generate plenty of screen heat, but, together in that one bedroom scene, their chemistry is downright explosive, so much so that it seems we have strayed into a whole different movie, and dearly want to stay there.

For all Mr. Boyle’s labors Trance principally comes off as a showcase for his brio, a spirit that animates all his choices, visual and otherwise.

Trance packs many reveals, and the guessing game of who's who and what's what continues throughout. But with its terribly campy setup (hypnotherapy and gangsters? One's inner child and murderous showdowns?), Trance could have gotten some mileage out of comedy

I love a good mind-bender, but it's getting more common these days to see thrillers that don't so much bend your mind as chop it, smash it, and place it in the Cuisinart. Trance, the new film directed by Danny Boyle is a high-brainiac art-world thriller that wants to do nothing more (or less) than give your head a majorly pleasurable spin.

Trance, Danny Boyle's latest endeavor, is a neo-noir drama thriller that rivals Christopher Nolan's Inception, and captivates you with its mind-bending plot. Simon (James McAvoy) works in a fine art auction house and becomes involved in a heist of the famous "Witches in the Air" by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya. During the robbery, Simon's attempt to double-cross the gang's leader, Franck (Vincent Cassel), goes awry when Franck hits him on the head and gives him a concussion. After recovering from his traumatic injury, Simon, much to the dismay of the gang, can no longer remember where he has hidden the painting. Therefore, they turn to Elizabeth Lamb (Rosario Dawson), a hypnotherapist, to help Simon recover these hidden memories from the depths of his psyche. It's during these hypnotic sessions that the film comes to life, as the lines between dreams, desires, and reality begin to blur, and the truth becomes increasingly hard to discern. In the midst of grappling with issues ranging from identity to moral ambiguity, Trance, like Boyle's other works, is a visually enticing experience with masterful use of highly saturated psychedelic colors. Nicely complementing the mesmerizing cinematography is an equally-engaging soundtrack, featuring an original electronic score composed by Rick Smith of the Underworld and memorable selections of songs, especially the use of "The Day" by Moby. While I admit, Trance requires some leaps of faith with regards to the plot, these leaps hardly pose an issue when viewing the film, and are practically non-existent with strong believable performances from the leads. In particular, Dawson shines as a surprisingly nuanced femme fatale, who straddles the carefully balanced role of both sexually-enticing and empowering. And as the layers are peeled away, culminating in a riveting climax that is weirdly cathartic, we ask ourselves whether living in a trance, having forgotten, might be better than facing reality with those memories?

Where is the line between a messy and convoluted film and one that is brilliantly mind bending? Danny Boyle's Trance largely walks this line and, at times, proves to be properly phenomenal. At others, the film unravels and shows just how thin it was stretched by Boyle. Though stylish, compelling, and a truly trippy experience, Trance has some moments that simply do not add up and, even then, its plot is nothing more than Inception by way of Boyle's fast paced point of view. While proving to be a riveting experience at times with how Boyle constantly pulls the rug out from under you, it is merely a slice of entertainment that serves to divert you attention away from the sad twist awaiting you at the end. That said, it is a brilliantly shot film with a terrific visual style. Unfortunately, it simply does not add up to being an equally great film. With a penchant for lens flares during dream/trance sequences, Danny Boyle's Trance is a gorgeous film. The lighting, translucent walls, and vibrant colors adorn this film at every turn and really make it a visually splendid endeavor. Boyle introduces a few oblique angles in this one of an apartment building, hinting at how things may go wrong in this place of residence. A beautifully taken shot, the glowing of the street lights on wet cobblestone and rock exterior of the building is a tremendous film. Even if it is a dangerous place, it is a place that beckons the viewer just as it beckons Simon (James McAvoy). Manipulated, confused, and lost from the very beginning, Simon is a man who is unaware of his past, his present, and what is truly real as a result of the hypnosis, hits on the head, and actions of his past. McAvoy is good in the role, even if it does not come close to the brilliance of his turn in Split. Alongside him, Vincent Cassel is slippery as an eel and Naomie Harris goes fully nude (even down below) in a good role that, again, does not reach the level of his 2016 performance in Moonlight. Thus, the film is not just a mishmash of colors, but also a great opportunity for these actors and one they take full advantage of throughout. Boyle infuses the film with his usual style. His fast paced film editing technique comes in handy here with quick cuts and a lot of panache behind the camera. Yet, the very peak of this film is the opening. The heist sequence during the art auction is brilliant. It is plotted out well, incredibly well captured, and drop dead tense. This is a film that comes out firing on all cylinders with a compelling first act that sets the entire plot into motion. Boyle also has considerable fun with the plot itself, allowing it to spiral out of control at times and become borderline messy and too convoluted. He embraces this and paints the film as a beautiful disaster at times to varying effect. That said, even when the film becomes too much and makes no sense, it is fun to watch Boyle fling everything at the wall without a care for what sticks and what does not stick. As a talented director, he is in full control of this insanity and, likely, a lot of it does not make sense to him either, but to try and understand this one would lead to simply not understanding the purpose of the film. It is a film that puts you in a trance and leads you down various allies. It is not to be understood, but rather, it is an exercise in visual style and fully dynamic. SPOILERS Unfortunately, the film does not always quite add up plot-wise. The biggest issue in Trance is the ending. The twist reveals that it was Elizabeth (Naomie Harris) who had put Simon in a trance and led to him assisting in the art theft. She manipulated him and made him forget his past relationship with her in order to end his obsession and get rich off of the deal regardless. Yet, in the beginning, we see she does not know Simon. She plays it off that she does not in front of him, yes, but Boyle includes a scene where she looks up Simon on the internet and investigates recent news stories about him, including one about the heist. She acts like she does not know who he is, because if she knew who he was, she would have known about the heist and who Simon was without the help of Google. This is not something that is rectified and is something that seems odd. The film is subversive and tries to distract the viewer from fully understanding, but it becomes clear that the twist is added for shock value, rather than it actually making any sense with the rest of the film. There are hints - restaurant, the book, etc. - that do add up to the ending, but that internet search sequence is glaring and problematic. END SPOILERS Hypnotic, confusing, and a visual feast for the eyes, Danny Boyle's Trance does not always work, but it is a riveting film that provides solid entertainment throughout. It is a film that seems to be making things up as it goes, but for his part, Danny Boyle infuses incredible style and has a lot of fun with the mind bending psychological thriller.

Refreshing, the film was able to keep me entertained throughout. The combination of classic film elements such as mystery, drama and action makes for a diverse experience within an original and actually quite captivating story. The lack of predictability is always nice to see, as is a strong performance from James McAvoy. The inclusion of strongly emphasised mystery can cause it to stall at times though which is the only major frustration. Minor flaws come in the form of the amateur cinematic feel and a slight lack of direction. Whichever genre you are into, Trance may cause you to further look into the mystery one.

The pre credits of Trance had me thinking that i was in for a really good thriller. It's not long though, before the film degenerates into a confusing exercise in style over substance, meandering towards a denouement that is a long time coming. There is a lot of back story exposition before the unremarkable ending, (one sudden shock involving a minor character not withstanding) and to say that the plot development requires much suspension of disbelief is to understate. Overall it's a pity because the first half an hour had me enthralled. At best this effort by Danny Boyle can only be considered an interesting mis fire.

Toujours aussi provocateur ce Danny Boyle (allez hop un minou rasé de près… mais pourquoi au juste ? quel intérêt ?… parce qu’il avait envie, c’est tout, putain !). Un poil désordonné aussi (!- désolé…) et sacrément bordélique, ce scénario en tout cas. J’ai regardé jusqu’à la fin quand même, voulant connaître le fin mot de l’histoire à la mords-moi-le-noeud… et j’ai rien compris. En fait, ce que je retiendrai, c’est Vincent Cassel dans un bon rôle de ‘gentil’ (pour une fois) qui tire fort bien son épingle du jeu. Pour le reste, les autres comédiens-diennes sont assez médiocres et globalement ‘Trance’ ne met certainement pas en transe, loin de là ! (il nous les casse un peu trop à vrai dire).