MOVIE OF THE WEEK #2 (4/12/13) TRANCE
KEY CAST MEMBERS: James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson, Vincent Cassel, Danny Sapani, Matt Cross and Wahab Sheikh
WRITER(S): Joe Ahearne and John Hodgel
DIRECTOR: Danny Boyle
WEB SITE: www.foxsearchlight.com/Trance
THE PLOT: Directed by Danny Boyle (127 Hours, 28 Days Later), Trance stars James McAvoy as Simon, who has a fairly comfortable living as an auctioneer of fine art. There's just one problem: He has a gambling problem ... Which is why he has decided to go in on a robbery with Franck (Vincent Cassel) and his motley crew to steal a painting valued at least $20 million pounds. (The film is not set in America in case you're wondering; that's why you'll be hearing McAvoy speak in his natural Scottish tone.) Once the robbery goes down, everything seems to have gone according to plan ... Except for the part where Simon improvises, causing Franck to have to strike him and then suffer amnesia in the process.
Now unable to remember where he stashed the prized painting, Simon finds himself between a rock and a hard place as Franck, Nate (Danny Sapani), Riz (Wahab Sheikh) and Dominic (Matt Cross) want it now. But since they can't think of a better alternative option, Franck decides to take Simon to a hypnotherapist to see if she can help him remember where it is. Picking one at random, Simon chooses Elizabeth Lamb (Rosario Dawson), who quickly realizes something is amiss with her new patient ...
What happens next might just leave you in a trance upon seeing the film ...
Now unable to remember where he stashed the prized painting, Simon finds himself between a rock and a hard place as Franck, Nate (Danny Sapani), Riz (Wahab Sheikh) and Dominic (Matt Cross) want it now. But since they can't think of a better alternative option, Franck decides to take Simon to a hypnotherapist to see if she can help him remember where it is. Picking one at random, Simon chooses Elizabeth Lamb (Rosario Dawson), who quickly realizes something is amiss with her new patient ...
What happens next might just leave you in a trance upon seeing the film ...
THE TAKE: As mentioned before on this very blog (No, I will NOT be making it easy for you to find the review that mentioned it first ... Go back and read and look for Antonio Banderas-related posts!), there is a term for what happens in the third and final act of Trance ... And that term rhymes with "blind luck" except neither of those two words applies. And it is due to the occurrence of that term, my friends, that Trance is either going to [1] blow you away when you find out what's happening or [2] make you start poking at holes you may (or, to be fair, may not) exist in both its premise and its execution.
What you can't deny, however, is that the film is [1] Very well done in terms of its presentation [2] The acting is pretty superb and [3] You'll be talking about it long after the theater, which is a testament to just how well director Danny Boyle brought co-writers Joe Ahearne's and John Hodgel's script to life in vivid color.
McAvoy delivers the solid performance you've come to expect from him as Simon, weaving between vulnerable to vicious with ease so that you never question his character's actions nor the motivations behind them. Likewise, Dawson is pretty captivating in her role as a hypnotherapist, using everything at her disposal to craft her character into a central figure of relevance in what could have turned out disastrous in the wrong hands. As the bridge that brings all the stories together, the role is not an easy one by any means and Dawson to her credit, while she won't win any awards for her portrayal, brings it to the surface in pretty remarkable fashion.
Of course, a large portion of the credit – or blame, depending on how you feel once things start to come into clear focus – for Trance's captivating nature has to go to Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, 28 Days Later). In crafting the film, no scene is thrown together for the sake of it, each instead being weaved in carefully to create a full cinematic tapestry where each layer builds upon itself before you get to enjoy the full package.
Then again, if you are a cynical person, you will be tempted to pick apart the film Inception-style ... But who says you still can't do that and enjoy the movie at the same time?
What you can't deny, however, is that the film is [1] Very well done in terms of its presentation [2] The acting is pretty superb and [3] You'll be talking about it long after the theater, which is a testament to just how well director Danny Boyle brought co-writers Joe Ahearne's and John Hodgel's script to life in vivid color.
McAvoy delivers the solid performance you've come to expect from him as Simon, weaving between vulnerable to vicious with ease so that you never question his character's actions nor the motivations behind them. Likewise, Dawson is pretty captivating in her role as a hypnotherapist, using everything at her disposal to craft her character into a central figure of relevance in what could have turned out disastrous in the wrong hands. As the bridge that brings all the stories together, the role is not an easy one by any means and Dawson to her credit, while she won't win any awards for her portrayal, brings it to the surface in pretty remarkable fashion.
Of course, a large portion of the credit – or blame, depending on how you feel once things start to come into clear focus – for Trance's captivating nature has to go to Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, 28 Days Later). In crafting the film, no scene is thrown together for the sake of it, each instead being weaved in carefully to create a full cinematic tapestry where each layer builds upon itself before you get to enjoy the full package.
Then again, if you are a cynical person, you will be tempted to pick apart the film Inception-style ... But who says you still can't do that and enjoy the movie at the same time?
PARTING SHOT: Of course, the twisty nature of Trance may throw some people for a proverbial – or actual – loop once the story comes into complete focus; be that as it may, there is no denying the film is an intriguing journey before arriving at its final destination.
RATING (OUT OF FOUR BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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