thekarmicnomad A heist to steal a work of art goes without a glitch, except no one knows where the painting is. the main character has lost his memory so his underworld companions recruit a hypnotherapist to tease out the location of the loot.Now this film is called "Trance" and has a hypnotist as a main character which gives you a hint on the direction of this film.It is mainly about control and suggestion. Characters use physical, mental, sexual and emotional methods to get their way. Who is controlling who? What is real and what is imagined? Who is the main player and who is being had over?It is entertaining enough, James McAvoy and Rosario Dawson are up to the job of carry this off, but I did feel it lacked a little something.The length of the film is well measured, I was just starting to get bored with the intrigue when it came to a close.It worked pretty well, I just didn't get excited about it. I think for the plot to unfold the way it does you have to lose sympathy with some of the characters.Some nudity and mild violence..

Mace Danny Boyle is one of the industry's most innovative, versatile and inventive modern directors. He has a solid track-record of great films, but I don't think Trance is one of them. Trance is one of those movies that shouldn't be a movie. When there is so much filler and unnecessary scenes that it may as well be an episode from a TV show or TV movie. My hopes for a solid piece or entertainment were high during the first act, but from then on, the movie takes a sharp turn down a road of mediocrity that really doesn't end anywhere.The first act of the film were charming and witty. We see a cast of familiar and talented faces as James McAvoy's character lays it down for us. It at first reminded me of a Guy Ritchie film, with it's energetic camera movements, witty narration and character introductions familiar to Snatch, but sadly this is not nearly as enjoyable after the first act.The problem with Trance is that the story is so muddled with unnecessary scenes and filler that it almost feels unfinished and very rushed. Like they needed more scenes to fill a feature-length run time but were running out of ideas. The story itself is very linear but is never simple or focused. The movie never follows it's narrative clearly and it leads to some confusion during viewing, which was eventually frustrating because it seemed Trance never really cared about telling a cohesive story, let alone even finish it.One of my biggest issues is the exploitation of themes within the film. Rosario Dawson goes fully nude for the film and the scene in which this occurs was meant to be sexy and enjoyable for the audience. But it just felt super exploitative and unnecessary to the story. It felt like it was shoved in to actually get people to talk about the film but it was just awfully executed and felt awkward to watch. The same goes for the violence. Trance is surprisingly graphic at times but I was having a hard time trying to figure out why. The brutal violence strayed so far away from the original tone of the movie that it as well felt unnecessary and overdone. Trance really doesn't understand it's audience and it led to a generally displeasing viewing experience.The hypnosis sequences are really the only interesting part of the film but by the end they get tiring and overdone. There were way too many of these scenes and it felt as if Boyle was including all these trippy sequences to make up for the awful "love story" occurring in the secondary story arch as the relationships and feelings these characters share are never clear.In total, Trance is a messy, bloated, unfinished skeleton of a film. With some more work and editing done to it, Trance could've been a lot better but as it stands now it is only a fraction of Boyle's real talent behind the camera. Trance is the kind of movie that you want to love because of the cool concept and narrative style, but can never get into because the movie doesn't really seem to care. The choppy and exploitative story is predictable and certainly not viewer-friendly. If you're looking for some mindless and forgettable entertainment then Trance will do you well. Just don't expect to come out happy and satisfied.

Sam smith (sam_smithreview) The film opens with a light-heart ed look at robbery in the art world. James McAvoy plays an auctioneer, however this is no 'Mickey Blue Eyes'. McAvoy explains that procedures are now in place to prevent quick smash and grabs. One procedure is to stash very expensive pictures in a safe place. Vincent Cassel is a thief who hits McAvoy on the head during a robbery. McAvoy goes to hospital and after this long intro the credits roll.Mcavoy has stashed the picture but cannot remember where. Cassel wants the picture and the humour of the opening of the film is quickly dispelled as Cassel attempts to find out where the picture is. The subject matter of the film becomes heavier now and remains so for the rest of the film. Rosario Dawson is brought in to use hypnotism to find the picture.The action in this film revolves around these three leading- characters, much as a trio were at the center of events in Danny Boyle's first film 'Shallow Grave'. Here though Boyle was determined for the first time to give a strong leading-role to a woman. All three of this trio give strong performances. McAvoy, who was recently in 'Welcome to the Punch', is given more to work with here. There is much more depth to this performance by McAvoy. Cassel and Dawson also have depth to their roles as thief and hypnotist. The writing here has created fully-rounded characters. All three are believable in their roles. The same applies to Danny Sapani in a supporting role.In 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind', Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet erased their memories of each other. This film is the opposite of 'Sunshine' in that here the attempt is to rediscover lost memories. This film is also unlike 'Spotless' in being an adult film with adult themes. There is full-frontal nudity as well as sex and violence.

Floated2 Trance is another thriller from known director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire). It's plot may be thin in concept, which is an art heist movie for adrenaline junkies. Simon (James McAvoy) works at a well-known art auction house. He has been well-trained as to what to do should anyone try to rob the building of their multi-million dollar collection of paintings. Move quickly and save the most valuable piece of art that you can get your hands on. Put it in a special case, put that case down a chute, and at least guarantee that the prized possession of the auction house will be safe.The film does have a certain storyline which is confusing once the film gets into its place. Trance is an aggressive movie, a work propelled by a driving score by Rick Smith of Underworld and kinetically shot by the great Anthony Dod Mantle (a regular Boyle collaborator). It's a film that has such Boyle-typical forward momentum that the viewer simply gives into it and goes along for the ride. Although it is well written and entertaining, the end twists could have been much better. It felt as if it was not fully polished.