Skip to main content

Trance

A Neo-noir crime thriller, Trance is glossy, good looking and has a helter skelter of a plot that will keep most people guessing until the bitter end. Danny Boyle is at his directorial best, with sleek and smooth direction which is a treat. Moving away from the 28 Days Later, Slumdog Millionaire subject matters, Boyle has gone back to his dark roots with a movie which is reminiscent of Shallow Grave with its focus on greed, violence and the underbelly of human nature.

Simon (James McAvoy) is an art auctioneer. However, during a robbery at the auction house where he works he is hit on the head and loses his memory. As he recovers he soon realises that he needs to remember where the stolen painting has gone or suffer dire consequences. In a desperate attempt to regain his memory Simon visits a hypnotherapist named Elizabeth (Rosario Dawson) in the hopes that she will help him to locate the stolen artwork. What results is a journey into the mind which offers an unreliable narrator with plot twists to make the head spin.

The acting is excellent and McAvoy carries the film with ease and style. It is also refreshing to see McAvoy in a role where he speaks with his own accent (something which should happen more often). Rosario Dawson turns in a stellar performance that is nuanced and subtle, and Vincent Cassel is brilliant as usual, offering a menacing criminal who is more than meets the eye. The film plays with the stereotypes usually meted out for both Cassel and McAvoy, which all adds to the rollercoaster ride.

The film owes a lot to Nolan's Inception and the moment the plot seems resolved it will veer
somewhere unexpected. So, a word of warning: pay attention or be very confused. Why not enter into the fun of the film and jump on for the ride? It's good looking, a little grimy and a lot of fun.

Four stars. Boyle having fun with a neo-noir plot. Fun, fast, slick and entertaining.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKdm-5gbtgo

http://www.trancethemovie.com/


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

BAFTA 2015 Winners Announced

The celebrities sparkled and the carpet was red. The BAFTA awards took place this evening in fabulous Royal Opera House in London and with many of the nominations echoing the upcoming Oscars so many people are wondering if there is an indication of who will take home a statuette alongside their BAFTA this year. Anyway, there are a few surprises but it's not a shock to see British movie The Theory of Everything having so much success, it's a shame the beautifully shot The Imitation Game didn't take home any gongs. The horror! Enjoy the list of winners while I head off for a celebratory drink or two. Best Film in 2015 Boyhood Dir: Richard Linklater Leading Actor Eddie Redmayne - The Theory of Everything Leading Actress Julianne Moore - Still Alice Outstanding British Film The Theory of Everything Dir: James Marsh Best Supporting Actor J.K Simmons - Whiplash Best Supporting Actress Patricia Arquette - Boyhood Original Screenplay The Grand Budapest...

Celebrate Woody Allen's Birthday with Woodystock

Woody Allen celebrated his 78th birthday this month, and that means it is time for Woodystock. This special event is held on Saturday 7th December at the Hackney Picturehouse cinema in London and is organised in association with the LOCO London Comedy Film Festival. Woodystock has become the annual celebration of Woody Allen's comedy and this year will be playing one of Woody Allen's classic movies, as well as live comedy from three young stand up comedians and Woody Allen-themed cocktails with live jazz. So if you are in the Hackney area, why not get yourself down there for some laughs and self-deprecating comedy? For more information, visit here .

Oscars 2015 - Nominees Announced

It's been a while but I'm back just in time for Oscar season! So, the nominees have been announced and it's all about the countdown to the ceremony on Sunday February 22nd. There have been a few surprises, like Jake Gyllenhall's missing from the nominations for his totally engrossing and terrifying performance in Nightcrawler. I am really happy to see Rosamund Pike's performance didn't go unnoticed in Gone Girl, though, she is mesmerizing and truly deserves the nod. Now it's all been announced, here at Silver-Celluloid we thought you might like to see a full review of each film that has been nominated. Over the next few weeks we are going to do just that. Anyway, enough of this, I'll just go and dust off my dress for my Oscar night party while you guys take a look at the nominees for this year's big categories. Best Picture American Sniper Directed by: Clint Eastwood Starring: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller This powerful, biographical w...