Trance
2013 · Directed by Danny Boyle
Original language: English
- thriller
- crime
- mystery
The story
A violent gang enlists the help of a hypnotherapist in an attempt to locate a painting which somehow vanished in the middle of a heist.
What it’s like
Slick, saturated Danny Boyle style: restless handheld camera, rapid cuts, and glossy digital images that shift between blown-out sunlight and deep, cave-like shadow, with London interiors lit in cold blues and warm amber. Hypnotic sequences dissolve into swirling, kaleidoscopic inserts and hushed, dreamy stillness, while Rick Smith's pulsing electronic score and sharp needle-drop cues keep the pressure on. The vibe is glamorous unease: a sleek, disorienting thriller that feels like falling through a mirror. It suits a late night alone with the lights off, when you want something that keeps shifting underfoot. Pacing is brisk and twisty, with the emotional register running from cool cynicism to raw vulnerability as an art-world conman and a hypnotherapist slowly strip away each other's defences and reveal what's buried beneath. Violence is sharp and sudden, including a few brutal beatings and a brief, intense gunfight, plus some strong language, nudity and sexual content, but it is never gratuitous. For people who want a stylish, mind-bending puzzle with a hard edge and a sting in the tail.
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