Movie Review: ‘Trance’

‘Trance’ Reviewed By Kyle Osborne

Is it mere coincidence that my three favorite movies of the year, so far, are movies that I not only saw twice, but actually enjoyed even more upon the second viewing? I don’t think so. The movies ‘STOKER’ and SIDE EFFECTS share some important points with Director Danny Boyle’s new thriller “Trance.”

All of these films mean to confuse and disorient the viewer, withholding important information until the final act. But these films also leave plenty of clues in the margins for those who are paying close attention. What’s great about seeing these films a second time is that the viewer no longer has to shoulder the burden of “figuring out” different portions of the film, and can simply sit back and enjoy the smaller moments, the clues and the sub-text.

Don’t get me wrong, ‘Trance’ isn’t a film school project—it’s pure popcorn entertainment that doesn’t require a test on its ‘deeper meanings.’ It’s just great filmmaking by the humble genius who brought ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ and ‘Trainspotting’ (among many others) to the big screen.  You can feel Boyle’s delight in having made a twisty turn-on of a film.

Since I’m a spoiler-free critic, I shall tread cautiously here: The basic storyline is that James McAvoy plays an employee at one of London’s tony art auction houses. He’s been carefully trained in the procedures of what to do in the event that an auction is crashed by art robbers.

Sure enough, some well-dressed robbers bust in, fully armed and screaming. As the bidders scramble for their lives, McAvoy does just as he’s supposed to, quickly taking the 30 million dollar painting off the easel and to the back room, where he’ll zip it in a bag and drop it down the chute.

But just as he’s about to make the drop, a big guy with a gun (the great French actor Vincent Cassell) grabs the bag and knocks McAvoy out. Later, when Cassell gets to the safe house and unzips the bag—it’s empty? Where did the painting go? That becomes the central question of the film: ‘Where Did It Go?’

Unfortunately for McAvoy’s character, the knock on his head has given him amnesia, and no amount of torture by Cassell and company can get an answer out of him. So they decide to hire a hypnotist, played by Rosario Dawson, to help McAvoy “unlock” what his own mind is hiding from him, and try to find the painting.

Aaaannnd-that’s all I’m gonna say about that.

Three great actors (I never remember character names) are now in a sort of psycho-triangular set-up that keeps us guessing what is real, what is remembered correctly, what is remembered incorrectly and who exactly is the bad guy?

Movie fans have always loved ‘heist’ movies, and what’s weird about the genre is that it usually has us rooting for the bad guys! Why is it that we don’t really want them to get caught, even though they’ve been naughty? In this case, it must be because they are smart, sexy, bold and dangerously daring.

Rosario Dawson is, in fact, hypnotic. Boyle shoots her face up close and with loving care. You may also have heard about her full frontal nudity? Again, upon second viewing especially, one clearly sees why the graphic nature of the shots was important to the story at hand.

If you don’t say “I’m confused” out loud, you’ll certainly be thinking it. But just hang on—Danny Boyle will let you know what he wants you to know, when he wants you to know it.

“Trance” is rated R for violence and nudity.