Review of Trance (2013) by Mike D — 12 Apr 2014

Heist thrillers are hit or miss, as are films that require a lot of thought. Fortunately for Danny Boyle's 'Trance,' the film is closer to a "hit" for these two qualities. The indie Fox Searchlight picture may have failed at the box office, but the James McAvoy/Rosario Dawson starrer has the chance to find an audience off the silver screen thanks to a simply sophisticated storyline that has twists and turns, especially in the last third of the film.

The plot starts off innocently, as a London art house auction is raided by criminals, with a painting worth $25 million the target. As it is revealed that the painting was not really stolen as believed at first, the focus turns to hypnotist Elizabeth (Dawson) helping the gambling-addicted Simon (McAvoy) remember where he placed the painting.

The layers that are peeled back during this time are incredible, and there are flavors of a smaller-scale 'Inception' in 'Trance' as it is sometimes difficult to discern between which scenes are happening in reality and those that take place in a hypnotic state.

And there are hints of 'Memento' as well, thanks to the memory angle. Truth be told, 'Trance' is not as groundbreaking as either of these two films, but it still has its own unique aspects that should not be overlooked.