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The first 40 minutes, I was excited & impressed. I like James McAvoy, I think he's a really good & charismatic actor. And Vincent Cassel, in my opinion, always delivers. The movie pumps you up with an intriguing storyline, flashy & artsy camera shots & angles, thrilling scenes backed up with a really good musical score. Then enter Rosario Dawson. It has been a steady downward spiral from that point on. No, it's not because of her, although I thought she looked a bit tired 90 % of the film. It's the plot and the shameful use of hypnotherapy as the driving force of the whole movie. Hypnotherapy as the structure of the movie? That makes the plot shaky at best. The moment Rosario inserted herself in the scheme I found myself shaking my head more and more.

Trance almost had everything that makes a movie work. Good cast, great direction, interesting cameraworks, good editing, stylish neo-noir execution, and really great music. Unfortunately, like poor Tin Man without the heart and The Lion without courage, this one has a weak script which essentially takes away the soul of the movie. It's a classic case of style-over-substance, easily disguised as a mind-bending intellectual movie with the use of "is this real?" sequences, change of perspective, and thrill rides, that can masterfully dupe the audience into thinking that they're watching Leo with a Spotless Mind.

Danny Boyle has style, that's for sure, but he should have given equal attention to the plot as he did to his camera shots & artsy vibe of the whole film. It's not at all bad, the music and style is enough reason to enjoy this movie and send you in a 100-minute trance-like state, but after the credits roll, like a snap of a finger, you wake up after that trippy ride, shake your head, look around, and mutter, "Seriously?"

Danny Boyle, a renowned director of stage and screen, not to mention a writer, directed the 2014 "Trance" -- and from a brief look at the reviews, people either loved it or hated it.

I hated it.

I'm always fascinated by films about art heists, but this time, I felt let down. That's not to take away from the originality of the story, but for me, it became too convoluted.

In London, an auctioneer, Simon Newton (James McAvoy), helps a gang, headed by a man named Franck, to steal a valuable painting at the auction house. Simon gets into a car accident and claims not to remember where he hid the painting. The gang sends him to a hypnotherapist (Rosario Dawson), under an assumed name, and record him -- he doesn't say he's looking for this painting, obviously, since it's all over the news, so he says he's looking for his keys.

The hypnotherapist turns out to be quite a character, and one can't really tell for a time if she's in league with the gang or trying to help Simon, as she plays both sides. It all gets kind of crazy from there, with murders, sex, car chases and hypnosis.

I love the plot, and normally, I like a complicated, involved story, but I admit that after a while, I gave up and didn't know what was happening. It reminded me a tiny bit of Memento, but that film was a lot more straightforward. This movie started out suspense and toward the end turned into a crazy horror movie.

The acting was good, with perhaps the exception of Rosario Dawson. First of all, she had an impossible role. Secondly, I am absolutely certain that in some scenes she didn't know what her attitude was supposed to be. It's not too much of a stretch that these actors lost their way in the script as well. I can't imagine anyone having to sit down and read it.

I think Danny Boyle is one of those people who, when he's good, he's fabulous, and when he's less than that, he's confusing.

2012 was the year that Danny Boyle became a national hero for many in his domestic Britain after masterminding a stunning opening ceremony of the Olympics. Seemingly able to satisfy even the sternest of sceptics with a rabid display of flair and flamboyance, he became elevated to a hallowed level of reverence. In the weeks that followed, he seemed to acquire an approval rating that most politicians would have gawped at, green eyed with envy. He stands tall as an icon of the every man, with an unaffected regional accent and amiable demeanour, with a dose of easy going charm. Beneath this genial appearance is a voracious talent that is testament to many years of hard work alongside any natural ingenuity. Lauded with plaudits and success, it would appear he can do no wrong. Or can he?

Returning to his day job, Boyle re-enters the film arena with Trance, a London-based psychological thriller that rushes around with about as much calm and patience as an ADHD sufferer. He has said that he was finishing this project whilst he was working on the Olympic opening ceremony, and that this should be viewed as its 'dark, evil cousin'.

Starring Vincent Cassel, James McAvoy and Rosario Dawson, Trance undertakes a card shuffling roll call of sympathy and understanding. Early on, McAvoy's Simon misplaces a valuable painting. Under the persuasive encouragement of Cassel's band of criminals, he ends up seeking the counsel and help of hypnotist, Elizabeth (Dawson), to retrace his steps. Although the backdrop for the film is that of a common theme; a heist, it is merely window dressing for what is an indeed dark and, heck, schizophrenic joyride into the mind.

With a nodded cap to the disorientating freewheeling narrative of Nolan's Memento, this film glides along a bumpy path. It takes pleasure in scrutinising the tricks and tics of memory. Boyle plays chess with the players and moves them around with the devilish glee of a ringmaster induced with the cruel egomaniacal urge of a cartoon villain. You can almost hear the grind of his hands rubbing together as he plots each skittish twist and turn. This is aided, helpfully, by Joe Aherne's source material and the screenplay's joyfully itchy nature. The film also has echoes of Inception. But with added sex.

Daring to make this an adult film and not dilute it in order to make it accessible for a wider and broader audience, he does not eschew from graphic and explicit depictions. He performs with the cinematic frisson of a British Tarantino, but without Quentin's fondness for a baggy screenplay. Having said that, and although such comparisons make for neat phrases for critics to write, Danny Boyle is very much his own man. His films are all underpinned by his stylistic stamps of authorship. In fact, as it tends to be a defining quality of all of Boyle's films, this one does not disappoint in its assault on the senses. The thumping soundtrack plays havoc on the ears and the fast cuts fix into the eyes with the precision of a laser beam.

Not everything is welcomed wholeheartedly and with open arms, however. As much as the virtues of Trance are easy to spot and identify, it is also somewhat flawed. So much emphasis seems to be placed on tripping the audience (in every possible sense) that the film renders itself a little distant to the sense of touch. The characters are slippery and the consequence of such skillful toying with the assumed integrity (or lack thereof) of the protagonists leads inevitably to an arms space from empathy.

In addition to this, the relentlessly florid displays of directorial showmanship makes the pacing a little too one-sided. So persistent is the pace that the runtime feels a little longer than the 101 minutes that it forms and you may well emerge exhausted as the lights come up. Maybe the frenetic nature of Trance is a deliberate counterpoint to the relative stasis of 127 Hours. As it stands, this film zips along at a speed that would make even Usain Bolt baulk and cower with fear.

Any quibbles mentioned do not deviate the bottom line verdict. This film is, on balance, a mighty success. It may not be as charming and lovable as the Oscar garnering Slumdog Millionaire, but it is a relentlessly entertaining thrill ride. It stands as an hour and forty minutes at a cinematic equivalent of the best theme park you could name. Hold on tight and buckle in.

I was quite looking forward to Trance; I had heard a critic say that it was a real effort by Danny Boyle to get out from under the "national treasure" status he had obtained by how well he opened the Olympics in 2012 and that as a result Trance was very much against that image. He was correct because this is a very graphic film in many ways but before that we get to the plot. The plot is simple – an art robbery goes wrong for some reason, with the painting lost when the inside man hides it but forgets where he hid it due to damage inflicted during the robbery. The gang go to a hypnotherapist to try to get it out of him and from here it only gets messy.

I can see what the plot was trying to do because it is constantly twisting and turning as minds are messed with; actions may or may not be programmed; events may or may not be happening and those who appear in control may or may not actually be in control and, even if they are (or aren't), they soon won't be (or will be) because everything will change in a minute. I guess the aim is that the film was aiming for a narrative similar to that of Inception or Usual Suspects, where the story the audience is being told may not be the real story at all. At the end of both these films the effect is to be impressed by how well it did it and I'm sure for many like myself there was the desire to watch it again to be able to see the film in the new context you have. With Trance I did not have this feeling, when things did fall into place I only felt that it was such a messy pile that it had fallen into and I had not enjoyed or been engaged in the manner in which it got there or indeed where it got me at all. You can sense it wants to be smarter and more thrilling that it is, but where Usual Suspects is slick and stylish on its journey, this really just bumbles and blasts it way to the finish hoping it can carry you with it by force alone.

This force comes in the style of Boyle's direction and mostly it is good from this point of view – it is a good looking film but it does really feel like he is forcing the excess for the sake of it rather than it being part of the film. So the very extreme scenes of gore felt like the complexity of the story – there for the sake of being there. Of course this is not to say that I didn't appreciate the extreme (almost "no holds barred") nudity from Rosario Dawson, but again even for the teenage boy in my head, it felt forced and unnatural (the use of her nude – not her as a nude). The cast go along with it the best they can. McAvoy is good while Cassel always has a mean presence. Support cast is decent but I am really not sure about Dawson. It is not that she herself is not good, it is just that the film asks too much of her character and it is clear that Dawson doesn't always know who she is be – in any one scene she can be what is required, but in terms of making it one whole character or making links between these scenes, she cannot do it. I do not think the fault is all her – I guess the relationship with Boyle didn't help with this aspect, but for sure her performance seems unsure and a bit erratic.

Trance will try to bluster and bully you into thinking you're watching something really smart and well structured, but this is not the case. The film is confusing for the sake of it, excessive for the sake of it and ultimately tries to ride this to a satisfying conclusion but in the end you will not be left with feeling that you immediately want to see it again but rather the lingering doubt as to whether you should have bothered in the first place.

An art auctioneer suffers amnesia when a robbery of a Goya masterpiece went wrong. A hypnotherapist was recruited to jog the memory out of him. Thus begins the multi-layered puzzle that is "Trance". I could not say more about the story as this remains for you to watch the unfolding of each scene that complicates the one before it.

Danny Boyle was very much in the news in the past few years because of his "Slumdog Millionaire" as well as his London Olympics gig. Now he returns to the big screen directing this Rubik's cube of a film, and that itself makes this film an event to witness.

James McAvoy plays Simon, the art auctioneer with a huge gambling debt caught in a bigger web, with the necessary cluelessness and helplessness. In fact, I could imagine Boyle's "trainspotting" discovery Ewan McGregor in this role had it been done ten years ago.

Rosario Dawson lends her exotic appeal as hypnotherapist Elizabeth Lamb. It was her character that provides this film that complex structure which would keep the audience wondering which is reality and which is just a trance. She was credible, treading that delicate balance between good and bad, realistically keeping the two other male characters guessing at her real intentions. Her brave moment of frontal nudity was key to how the story turns, not gratuitous.

Vincent Cassel plays Franck, the ruthless mastermind of the art heist. His character would have been a one-dimensional bad guy in a lesser actor's hands. Here Cassel gives Franck another level of what seems to be vulnerability, or then again, maybe not.

Fans of film noir, of films that make you think, will enjoy "Trance". I am sure many fans of this film will watch it again to try and get it the second or third time around. Boyle has given us "Inception" without the grand special effects. So good. Must-watch.

The latest film from the Oscar-winning English filmmaker Danny Boyle is a racy crime thriller with a psychological bent. The movie revolves around the life of a debonair art auctioneer, Simon, who inexplicably gets mixed up with a group of ferocious criminals.

The criminals reluctantly partners with a sensual hypnotherapist whose job is to dig deep into Simon's mind and find out the whereabouts of a lost painting. Trance plays with the subconscious memory in the vein of movies like Inception and Shutter Island, but somewhat falls short of attaining the same level of brilliance.

Trance stars James McAvoy, Vincent Cassel and Rosario Dawson in major roles. While McAvoy delivers his best performance ever, Dawson is a treat for the sore eyes. While Cassel is solid as usual, film aficionados just can't help but expect more from the veteran French actor.

Boyle's direction is topnotch and barring a few glitches the movie manages to deliver a powerful punch. The movie is quite high on eroticism and nudity but none of it appears to be extraneous. A must watch for the lovers of the genre!

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From directing Bollywood, Sci-fi and Zombie flicks, to action thrillers to the London 2012 Olympics, Danny Boyle is the most versatile director in the industry. Currently at the top of his game, Boyle directed Trance parallel to the Olympics on the same shooting schedule in the same weeks (literally!). In interviews he said relative to the Olympics that Trance is the 'dark cousin of the Olympics'. Boyle brings us a character-based, twisty thriller, just like the ones from the 1990's that launched his career.

Trance is introduced with a Scorsese sprint-heist, where Simon (James McAvoy) is an inside man on stealing a £27,000,000 Goya painting from his job at an auction. When Simon double crosses his partner Franck (Vincent Cassell) he suffers a strike to the head, leaving him with amnesia. In order to find out where he hide the painting he must take hypnosis sessions to revive his memory. But as lines blur and hypnotic suggestion takes over, the situation gets darkly complex.

Keeping you indulged for its entire one-hundred and seventeen minutes running time the film is imperatively based on narrative. Forget CGI and the rest. To make a good film use the three things that Hitchcock says is essential in film-making, 'the script, the script and the script'. Boyle does this wondrously.

While Boyle assembled his old gang behind the camera, in front of it, they're all new faces for the film-maker, and they all rise to the occasion. Vincent Cassel at first seems to have the least interesting part of the film. The same sort of character he has played in the Ocean movies. Meanwhile other cast members such as James McAvoy and Rosie Dawson give the best performances of their careers. McAvoy in fact has never been so good. Appearing in two films on this months release (also Welcome To The Punch). He breaks his character type and shows his malevolence.

The film is a trippy heist thriller. Think Fight Club, Inception, Memento and The Sixth Sense and the style of story and endings. Trance is no exception. Even as we left the cinema other audience members where throwing around the Nolan word. But this film does seem like it has earnt the comparison. Compiled with complex script flips and twists the film is all solved in the final act, much like Nolan's films.

Having earnt its deserved rating of 15 the violence and excessive swearing are throughout. And all of the three of the main cast are seen at one point of the film both naked and abused. Interesting, eh? This is one film that should not be missed. Released tomorrow (March 26th 2013) this film is highly recommended.

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James Mcavoy is back on form after the dismal Welcome To The Punch. He is Simon who works for a fine art auction house, where one of his duties is to whisk away to a deep vault the most valuable artwork in the event of any attempted robbery. Of course their is a robbery, masterminded by Franck played by Vincent Cassels, the only problem is he has stolen a picture frame but no canvas. Simon is hit on the head during the robbery causing amnesia and cannot remember what happened to the canvas. Franck isn't too chuffed about this so employs Elizabeth - Rosario Dawson a hypnotist to delve into Simon's mind to find where he may have secreted the artwork.

For at least the first half I was gripped by the plot and characters plus Boyles camera work is spot on as always. I did however feel completely puzzled at one point when the plot seemed to zig-zag a bit too much and I began to wonder whether I had lost concentration. I wasn't being dim however because at this point one of the characters explains (in flashback) what's going on.

Although an adequate enough watch this was for me a below par Boyle movie. But I suppose with a back catalogue including two of my top ten films he can be excused for not 'hitting a coconut every time'. Overall I was not disappointed to have caught the bus to view this and neither should you be. If you are a Boyle fan just lower your expectations a little.

After my review of several of the summer blockbusters with their falling skyscrapers, mega explosions, burning barges, and exploding spaceships, and all that burning smoking destruction, Trance was almost literally a breath of fresh air.(Okay there was some tear gas and a burning car at the end of this movie but you get the point….) And speaking of SciFi... although there is one element that borders on science fiction I won't reveal the twist here as it really doesn't take away from the enjoyment of the film in the slightest.

I suppose you could say the movie is slightly formulaic but it's formulaic as a heist movie, as a gangster film, as a psychological thriller, as a film noir mystery romance. It's the blend of all these in a masterful interweaving of genres that makes Danny Boyle such a master film maker.

From his beginnings with his morbid masterpiece of Hitckcockian tale of normal people in situations that spiral out of control in Shallow Grave, to the hyper reality of Trainspotting and it's excellent music soundtrack that also blended genres., Boyle has shown a deft hand at mixing things up, telling extremely engaging stories. He attempts genres and makes them his own like no one has since Kubrick. And while unlike Kubrick greatest movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, Boyle's science fiction movie Sunshine is the only genre, that in my opinion, was his only less than success. Things like his Zombie movie 28 Days Later... or his Bollywood movie Slumdog Millionaire are some of my all time favorite movies.

And while Trance is a scaled back movie in every sense, an extremely British movie with relatively unknown cast, all his skills are evident. And when I say British I mean British…. It's one of those that even though they are speaking English, subtitles would have helped immensely. But having said that I must say that "unknown" cast is exquisite, with a bit of IMDb.com research I was able to find things like the lead character James McAvoy was the main guy against Forest Whitaker's Idi Amin in the excellent The Last King of Scotland, or the main gangster type guy Vincent Cassel has been the baddie in many films including the 'baddie' director explaining the seduction of and his own seducing of Swan Lake in The Black Swan, and Rosario Dawson I remember from Quentin Tarantino's Grindhouse "Death Proof" segment, or one of the femme fatales in Sin City. So this trilogy of excellent bit actors in the hands of a master pull off the most engaging, mind twisting, bizarre love triangles in film history. As I mentioned before the juggling of genres start off with the excellence tension of a heist movie, and as it enters the psychological thriller, what happens after the heist is revisited in jumbled flashbacks as McAvoy's character receives a head injury and can't remember what happened. He visits a therapist specializing in hypnotherapy to help in remembering and quickly she's entangled in the what happened to the stolen painting, and of course there's the film noir elements of who's playing who.

I even liked how the film as it's title suggests hypnotically takes you into the art world, particularly the world of stolen paintings. I had fun researching the stolen paintings it mentions like Rembrandt's "The Storm on the Sea of Galilee". But the labyrinth of revealing what was locked inside the main character's mind is all done in a hypnotic style, with mind-bending twist of dreams with-in dreams etc.. . but also in the romantic entanglement that has you wondering who has the upper hand as guards are let down and weaknesses exposed and in one of the movie's not so obvious twists, is the fact you actually begin to like the bad guy? In particular, I had to track down the excellent song "Sandman" by Kirsty McGee as it's dreamy lilting melody perfectly underscores that feeling not quite being in control in a dream yet not caring and enjoying that floating feeling.

As I mentioned before there is some suspension of disbelief, and some major plots holes that may cause the story to fall apart if examined too closely and a more discerning skeptic might find major fault under that close of an examination, and it's does knock off a star value for me for sure. But I found the trip through this mind maze and romantic entanglement to be most enjoyable.

Trance is disappointing. This movie jumps back and forth between reality and hallucinations so much that you eventually stop caring about what happens to the characters. And when the movie finally does explain what's going on, it's more frustrating than satisfying. Danny Boyle is one of my favorite directors, but this is far from his best work.

Trance is directed by Danny Boyle and adapted to screenplay by John Hodge from Joe Ahearne's film of the same name from 2001. It stars James McAvoy, Vincent Cassel and Rosario Dawson. Music is scored by Rick Smith and cinematography is by Anthony Dod Mantle.

Art auctioneer worker Simon (McAvoy) does the double-cross on Franck (Cassel), his partner in an art heist, but after taking a blow to the head suffers amnesia and can't recall where he has hidden a stolen Goya masterpiece. Franck and his thug side-kicks decide to send Simon to hypnotherapist Elizabeth (Dawson) in the hope of unlocking the painting's hiding place. However, once the therapy starts, secrets come tumbling out and nothing is ever as it at first seems.

Already this early in the day after the film's release, we know for certain that Danny Boyle's foray into neo-noir is going to split his fan base considerably. Admired for his ability to turn his hand at any genre he fancies, Boyle reaches back to his earlier movies and comes up with a mind bending neo-noir that crackles with the kind of sexual edginess that Paul Verhoeven thrived upon. It sounds snobbish I know, and I have been called a neo-noir snob recently, but if all things noir are not your thing then this really is a film you should stay away from. Think Basic Instinct meets Inception and they take out a 40s Heist movie for drinks and you get an idea where we are at with Trance.

All the hallmarks of noir, both neo and conventional classics, are evident here, from characterisations to visual smarts, it's a noir head's dream and very much a must see on the big screen or on Blu-ray formats. Forget any notion of having someone to root for in this, there is scarcely a decent human bone on show. Characters are either fuelled by greed, lust, jealousy or vengeance, or quite simply just not smart enough to operate in the circles they move in. Amnesia is a key component of the story, something which again features a lot in olde noir, as does the central character being a complete dupe...To expand upon more would be stupid of me, the less you know the better it actually is upon first viewing. It really is a difficult film to discuss without delving into why it is such a trippy and deliciously cheeky piece of film. That's not to say that narratively it's smarter than a brain pie, because that's not the case. For as the threads untangle, several times, the mind meld aspect will fall apart if plot dissection is your thing? Also cramming so much "brain food" into the last quarter of film kind of feels like too much, overkill if you will. While Franck's side-kick bad boys are irritatingly disposable. Yet it's a film that begs to be seen more than once, twice, thrice even...

Visually it's superlative, it's clear that Boyle and Mantle know and admire noir's visual splendours, with an awareness of atmospheric importance (noir is an atmosphere, not a genre. There's the snob in me again!) pulsing throughout. Set in London but filmed out of Dungeness in Kent, the backdrop is a city of steel and mirrors, a thriving city of wealth and mistrust. The tricks of the trade are here but never once is it style over substance, the visual ticks matter to the narrative. Night time overhead shots of a bustling city come and go, different colour tones for different character's apartments are clever, oblique camera angles ensure distortion of frame is equal to distortion of antagonists/protagonists minds (whose trance is this, really?...). Smudgey silhouettes through bronze glass, outrageous POV shots and caressing camera shots of the human form, no shot is wasted in the name of adding detail. Rest assured, Boyle brings his "A" game here. All of which is covered over by Smith's slow rumbling score that acts as a foreboding observer ready to unleash itself when the carnage begins.

The three principal actors come out firing and clearly are enjoying themselves. McAvoy cements his "A" list credentials with a multi layered performance, Cassel is as usual a mighty presence and Dawson, in a bold role, does her best work so far and hints she's ready to move into the big league. While it has to be noted that all three actors have to play their cards very close to their chests throughout; and do so admirably. Boyle's action construction is kinetic, with the pre-credits sequence one of the best opening sequences lately, and Hodge's script has a playfulness about it that ensures those paying attention know the film is self-mocking and not taking itself half as seriously as some film fans seem to think. An audience splitter it is sure to be, but for those with a bent for noirish sexy mind bending heist capers? Get in there! 9/10

Danny Boyle returns to his mind boggling roots, such as Sunshine and 28 Days Later, with Trance. Trance has a thought provoking concept that might bring some memorable mind blowing amazement on screen. It shows its high concept pretty well and it lets the audience fascinate from start to finish. Further on, the story develops a strange twist which leads to an awkward conclusion. Despite all odds, the film is thankful to have Boyle creating a brisk style throughout the experience and a set of brilliant performances making it more than entertaining. It's a little disappointing, but most of the film is really worth watching.

The plot is simple, but the idea beneath it is what makes it sound more than just simple. It begins with a stylishly shot heist sequence that gives so much promise to the picture. It gets even more interesting when it introduces its hypnosis. It shows plenty of smart ideas to it. There are some point that may remind you of Inception but the film also finds some clever ways to make it look unique. It eventually becomes twisted and tells some unpredictable revelations. Twisted and unpredictable are good until the sudden plot twist comes along. It shifts from dangerous to ridiculous. Well, mind bending films are best when it makes no sense at first then it lets you try to put the pieces together afterwards, but the random involvement of one character to the core conflict of the story is somehow exasperating.

There is no denying that the performance are great. James McAvoy finely balances his character's fear, rage, and charisma. Rosario Dawson is graceful enough for a hypnotherapist. One of the best here is Vincent Cassel. His character is generally suppose to be unlikeable but Cassel manages to be terrifying and so much fun to watch.

We may complain about its weaker parts but it's still extremely entertaining. To be honest, this is probably Danny Boyle's snazziest film he has ever made so far. Though, there are better Boyle films out there, this one seems to be more energetic, and smartly shot and edited. His sense of style brings camp and surrealism that feels like you're in a perfect zone of trance. There are sequences that are simply magnificent which makes you just want to look around the exteriors, like a piece of art. The music score and soundtrack fits through the fanciness of the film.

Trance embraces the point of being mind bending. It plays with your mind enough which is already a remarkable merit, it just could have been simpler in the end. The twist indeed affects a lot to what it was set up, but the best parts still took over the experience. The film's awesome craft and trippy effects immediately spellbind the viewers. It would have been a classier fabulous thriller. It's difficult to forgive its far-fetched conclusion, but again it is a snazzy piece of manic art by Danny Boyle that is definitely a cinematic joy.

Danny Boyle's films are a mixed bag. On the one hand you have amazing efforts such as 28 Days later and Trainspotting and on the other you have Shallow Grave and the Beach. He's never made a bad film in my opinion and they are always interesting even if they feel a bit convoluted or gimmicky. On his best days his films can feel whimsical and transcendent like Millions and A Life Less Ordinary and than sometimes they can feel a little to Oscar baity like 127 hours and slumdog millionaire. Trance falls nicely in line with these films and towards the top I might add. At the center of the film is a ho hum concept about a somewhat successful heist and the twistiness that surrounds it. The films overall effect relies on your acceptance on the believability of Hynopsis but in the end it's a beautifully crafted ride. Stocked with truly memorable visuals and some truly wonderful cinematography. From the creative lighting and color combinations to the inspired use of shadows and reflections, it is truly something to behold. Speaking of something to behold I must give credit where it is due and although james McAvoy's nude scene is impressive Rosario Dawson just blows him away in that department. Who knew she had such an amazing body it truly needs to be seen to be believed. Now all of that being said on the downside the film makes some big promises that any film would have a problem living up to. At times it comes across way more complex and intelligent that it ends up being. But like his earlier works Trance is a solid, memorable techno thriller that works as a bendy mind twister that mostly delivers. 4/5

This film is mildly recommended.

Everybody loves a good mystery. Unraveling the clues. Figuring out those mind games. Sorting out the suspects. Catching the culprit. Solving it all. And Trance, the latest crime thriller by Danny Boyle, tries desperately to be that.

But a problem usually arises when creating that good mystery. The viewer is lured into the web of intrigue with its unending possibilities, interesting characters, and a dense plot that keeps one guessing the outcome. However, when some of the rules of the game defy logical sense and only style camouflages the plots and twists, all that's left is an unsatisfying thriller that piles one contrived situation upon the next. And that is what Trance cannot avoid.

The film begins promisingly enough with an art heist caper involving a missing Goya. Caught in this mystery are the film's three main characters: Simon ( James McAvoy ), an auction house auctioneer who loses the painting during the robbery, Franck ( Vincent Cassel ), a sinister gang leader who wants that expensive painting, and Elizabeth ( Rosario Dawson ), an attractive hypnotherapist whose services are called upon to help Simon remember the whereabouts of the artwork. To say anymore could spoil the film, but this is, after all, Film Noir territory and the double crosses ( or triple crosses ) are par for the course.

Written by Joe Ahearne and John Hodge, Trance holds one interest during most of the film, but by the film's end, all the exposition and dark twists become more annoying than fulfilling. The script doesn't delve into the mechanics of the crime and would rather deal with the psychological mumbo-jumbo of hypnosis, unlocking the enigmas of the mind to solve its mystery, ala Hitchcock's Spellbound and its overwrought ode to psychotherapy. It doesn't help that he film's constant blur between reality and illusion confuses rather than enlightens the story. Also, the characters are a bit one-dimensional and lacking any depth to truly engage most moviegoers, although McAvoy, Cassel, and Dawson do give it their all.

Still, Danny Boyle directs with his usual high intensity flair. The film is extremely well-made, but it is mostly a slick and empty exercise in filmmaking. The director keeps things moving at a clip with flashy editing techniques and artsy camera angles. Scenes are well staged and photographed by Boyle's loyal cinematographer, Anthony Dod Mantle ( Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours ). Their visual sleigh of hand is used masterfully to cover the film's defects.

In retrospect, after all is revealed, the real problem with Trance is in its script in which the actions and motives of these characters seem muddled and make very little sense, except to provide a visually exciting denouncement. Trance could have used some more rewriting sessions, and some additional therapy sessions too. GRADE: B-

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Danny Boyle has had a bumper few years, earning an Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire, making his dream project, 127 Hours and earned massive praise for the 2012 London Olympic opening ceremony. After years away, he has returned to making a British set film with Trance, which pleases as both a mainstream crime-thriller and a more cerebral psychological thriller. At a London art auction, Frank (Vincent Cassel) and his crew attempt to steal a painting valued at $25 Million. Simon (James McAvoy) is hailed as a hero when he tries to stop the heist and gets hit in the head for trouble. But Simon was the inside man for the heist and suffers amnesia, due to the blow he received during the action. When Frank discovers he does not have the painting, he becomes determined to find out where it is, by any means necessary. When torturing Simon does not work, Frank turns to more unusual techniques and makes Simon see a hypnotherapist, Elizabeth Lamb (Rosario Dawson) and forces everyone involved down a dark and twisted path. Boyle reunites with writer John Hodge and Trance does feel very much like an early Boyle film. Like Shallow Grave and Trainspotting, Trance focuses on people on the fringes of the criminal world, who get embroiled into much wider scheme and get in over their heads. The film starts with a great heist sequence and has at the start a slightly darker comic tone before turning into a fast paced thriller. As expected Trance has all the visual flair you want from a Danny Boyle film, with all the cross cutting between flashbacks and the present time and Boyle does gets to play around with the dreamscape. Trance also serves as a great example of how a music score can amplify the action on the screen, being a fast and pumping when the action picks up to being calm and tranquil for the hypnotist sequences. Boyle does get to audience absorbed into his dream worlds with his use lens flare, camera movement and music. Trance is similar to other thrillers like Memento and The Machinist, twisting and turning constantly. Boyle starts the film as a heist flick and then slowly turns the genre gears and turns the film into a psychological thriller. Like Christopher Nolan, Boyle and his writers set out to explore themes of memories, relationships, manipulation and trust and it was done to an expect level. Throughout the film, it changes courses constantly, leaving to the audience guessing: but Boyle and the writers do leave some clues about the eventual ending and I am sure there's more to the film, during a second viewing. The characters themselves are also enigmas, as their motivations change and we get to see more pieces of the puzzle. Simon starts off as a victim but as the film progresses, we see his dark and twisted side and McAvoy effectively brings this out of his character. He was much better fitted for this role, than his recent action anti-hero role in Welcome to the Punch. On a whole, the characters are generally unsympathetic and the film constantly shifts both its focus and who the audience should root for. But added to the film's theme of who we are meant to trust as relationships, the motives in the film that shift along coincide with its themes and makes some sense overall. Whilst Trance is a fun ride, people might begin to see multiple plot holes and raise questions about how characters know certain actions and reactions were going to happen. But it can be argued that The Dark Knight Rises had plot problems, if you held it to any form of analysis and people still enjoyed that film. The aim of Boyle and the writers was to focus on the themes and how the puzzle fit together once you get more information, even if the foundation itself is a little shaky. Trance is a highly entertaining and engaging crime and psychological thriller. It is a fun ride as it brinks through its 101 minute running time. Whilst there are some logic and logistical problems in the plot when everything is revealed, it is still a well made film that explores the themes of memory, trust and the framework of the mind. Fans of Boyle's previous work will certainly be pleased.

Let's not kid ourselves here, British director Daniel Boyle has a knack for crafting such wonderful movies; with Trainspotting and 127 hours to say the least. In fact, passing up the opportunity to direct Alien Resurrection back in the day was the result of quite a prolific career, saving him a destruction from followers of the Alien franchise.

This hypnotic mind bender tells the story of Simon (James McAvoy); an auctioneer who finds himself at the centre of a tug of war regarding a painting worth millions. Although Simon is involved in stealing the painting to clear a gambling depth, a sudden turn of events leaves Simon with a loss of memory, oblivious to where he left the painting - leaving criminal kingpin Frank, unimpressed.

Frank (Vincent Cassel) and his thugs are left sweating and rampaged following the robbery, questioning Simon's mischievous actions. While Frank is convinced of Simon's sudden memory loss, he is Adamant on recovering the million dollar painting, setting Simon up with Elisabeth (Rosario Dawson ); a local hypnotherapist who joins forces with Frank in order to help retrace the steps of Simon, in which they both hope will help recover the painting - leaving everyone except Simon extremely rich.

As Simon vividly explores his memory with Elisabeth, it seems that she and everyone else have a bigger part to play in this puzzle, revealing a dramatic tale of desire, obsession and greed.

James McAvoy is a joy to watch once again, offering a low key performance originally, the character of Simon is forced to up the antics in a bid to discover the truth. On the other end of the stick is Vincent Cassel, who some might recognise from french movie La Haine. Although the screen presence of Vincent was far from convincing at first, we know his character is visioned as the bad-guy - a practise of hatred, however you slowly grow to love his presence (I did anyway).

Danny Boyle's latest is different in terms of its lack of comedic effort; an aspect we know all too well from his previous work. The inclusion of Rosario Dawson creates an aspect of extreme sexiness to the plot, while a showboating chemistry between herself and Cassel adds to the erotic element. Trance is far from flawless. Although Boyle knows how to construct a good movie visually, using angles of realism on the topic of hypnosis, it supplies unlimited endings, with a climax failing to break free at times, adding sequences of sheer confusion - (Hypnosis anyone?) While the movie is of average length, I felt the anticipated twist could have been wrapped up at an earlier stage. Its flashy images of past and present corrode the screen, you will find yourself piecing the dialogue together after the movie in order to realise what is actually a clever twist.

Trance is an intriguing psychological thriller with originality that will sit among Hollywood's directorial competition. Smartly shot with a topic of realism with a plot that consistently calls for your attention. Trance is a frightening perspective on the power of hypnosis.

Overall: An Ending that failed to, well, end on occasions, the overall twist is satisfying once you get your head around it. The performance from both McAvoy and Cassel make Trance as memorable as it has been perceived thus far.

7.6/10

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This has got to be the most confusing film I have ever seen, and yes, I have seen Inception. I only came across this film because it starred James McAvoy, it sounded interesting so I decided to give it a go.

The film starts off straight in the action and is one of them films where you are completely hooked from the start to the finish, even though you're not completely sure what is going on. It got to the point where I didn't know if certain scenes were the present day or flashbacks, truths or lies, I just didn't know, but my God it was gripping. There was also some pretty grim scenes in this film.

In the end it did make more sense but you really have to think about it. I would highly recommend this film to anyone, although I think it may take more than one viewing to really appreciate how good this is.

8/10