Review of Trance (2013) by Guido S — 25 Nov 2013

I normally like Danny Boyle's movies. This one, for me, was just a mess. Basically, James McAvoy is on a heist as an auctioneer and helps to steal a painting to pay his gambling debts. However, he gets knocked out after changing the script on the thieves and ends up getting knocked out.

He also hid the painting and now can't remember it, so he starts seeing Rosario Dawson to help with hypnosis to uncover it. She eventually figures out he is being wired by the thieves and becomes in on the money if the painting is found.

I could see some of the things coming a mile away, like Dawson and McAvoy knowing each other before, and Dawson having deeper ties to the heist than initially let on. However, the film insists piling on twists, that I became lost after too many of them.

I enjoy twisty movies, but I do when I enjoy the characters and care to go back and rewatch a film multiple times to piece it together. I don't care about any of these characters, despite them all being very good actors and thus, do not plan on revisiting this film anytime soon.

Should have kept this one simple, it became way too complex for its own good.