Trance (2013)

Going deeper down the rabbit hole

Art auctioneer Simon (James McAvoy) teams with crime boss Franck (Vincent Cassel) to steal a Goya from an auction, then tries unsuccessfully to double-cross his fierce accomplice. In response, Franck knocks Simon unconscious with a vicious blow to the skull, wiping out any memory concerning the whereabouts of the prized painting. When Simon claims to have no recollection of where he hid the stolen masterpiece, Franck and his crew grudgingly agree to let talented hypnotherapist Elizabeth (Rosario Dawson) try and pinpoint its location. Now, the deeper Elizabeth probes into Simon's subconscious, the more complex the mystery seems to grow.

Danny Boyle has never been one to limit himself, bouncing from drug addiction tales to post-apocalyptic zombie worlds, from space missions to James Franco getting his arm trapped under a rock. For his latest cinematic endeavor, he's turned to a thriller of the mind, proving how far from predictable the man is.

The story carries a numerous amount of twists, none of which astonishingly threaten to overwhelm the film and alienate the viewer, but upon further reflection, viewers may be left wondering whether the film ended with a twist too many. The soundtrack is an enticing piece of work while the cinematography is no less than brilliant.

The mirror wasn't what Franck expected it to be

The central trio of James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson and Vincent Cassel each give an astonishing performance, and with regular Boyle collaborator John Hodge's well paced script, manages to turn their characters into multi-faceted beings.

As the film goes on, the likability of the characters will alter, as layers are uncovered and one character becomes more sympathetic while another goes in the opposite direction. It is a testament to the actors performances that these layers don't feel like they're twists coming out of left-field, but are more akin to secrets coming to light and showing there's more to these characters than you originally believed.

Whether it's essential to like a films characters all throughout will ultimately make or break the film for you, but there's no denying that Danny Boyle has done a stunning job in directing this highly entertaining & mindbending ride of a thriller. Utterly entrancing.