Starring: James McAvoy, Vincent Cassel, Rosario Dawson
Director: Danny Boyle
Rating: 4/5
It has been a fair old while since we have seen Danny Boyle in the director’s chair - 127 Hours being his last movie - and this week he is back with the rather beguiling Trance.
Trance sees Boyle tackle the thriller in a movie that is packed with twists and turns and you never quite know who to trust.
Simon (James McAvoy), a fine art auctioneer, teams up with a criminal gang to steal a Goya painting worth millions of dollars, but after suffering a blow to the head during the heist he awakens to discover he has no memory of where he hid the painting.
When physical threats and torture fail to produce answers, the gang's leader Frank (Vincent Cassel) hires hypnotherapist Elizabeth Lamb (Rosario Dawson) to delve into the darkest recesses of Simon's psyche.
As Elizabeth begins to unravel Simon's broken subconscious, the lines between truth, suggestion, and deceit begin to blur.
Trance kicks off as traditional heist movie and you think you know what you are going to get but it doesn’t take long for Boyle to take the film down a path that you didn’t quite success.
Instead of a run of the mill try to find the paining story Trance does descend into dark territory and you are never quite sure who is lying to who or what is real and what is imaginary.
The twists and turns really are terrific as they keep you on the edge of your seat - just as you think you have figured out where the story is going and who is telling the truth Boyle throws another spanner tin the works that turns the story on its head once again.
Having said that all this twisting and turning and deceiving that is going on does cause the film to suffer from a few pacing issues in the middle as it loses a little bit of momentum.
But Boyle manages to get the film back on track for the terrific climax and a reveal that perhaps you were not expecting.
At the heart of this film is a trio of great performances as James McAvoy, Vincent Cassel and Rosario Dawson are all on top form.
McAvoy delivers another great performance as he plays Simon with a wide eyed innocence and yet with an element of know how that you never really trust.
Rosario Dawson is rather beguiling as Elizabeth as she is the character with all of the power: with a click of her fingers she can make you remember or forget - she is also the character with the most interesting storyline.
But it is Vincent Cassel that has the greatest presence of the cast as there is a menacing side as well as a charm to villain Frank. Despite being an old timer in crime he also finds himself being drawn under Elizabeth’s spell.
Trance is a fast paced movie and this pace really does give the film an energy and a vibrancy - pushed forward further by a pulsating soundtrack. Danny Boyle has always known how to effectively use music in a film and he has continued that with his latest offering.
This is a very very bold film and Danny Boyle has gone out of his way to draw in and intrigue the audience.
The film is by no means without it’s flaws as is does waver under the weight of the complex plot but, overall, Boyle does pull all of the strands together.
Danny Boyle has always been an exciting filmmaker and one again he has delivered another great movie that you just cannot take you eyes off.
Trance is out now
Tagged in Danny Boyle James McAvoy Rosario Dawson Vincent Cassel