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/