Darkmatters Review: TRANCE

TRANCE (15)

Dir. Danny Boyle

Reviewed by Matt Adcock


You are feeling warm, secure and totally at ease...

Everything is going your way, this is a good day, a day when you might want to experience a quality thought provoking thriller...

When you finish reading this review, you will think about going to see TRANCE, and chances are that if you do go and see it, you will enjoy it very much!

So far, so good - but how far do you trust your current perception of 'reality'?

Do you know for sure that you're doing things of your own free will?

What made you decide to read this review?

Are you sure you haven't been hypnotised and that you are acting out the 'suggestions' planted in your mind?

"look into my eyes..."

Welcome to the world of TRANCE. Danny 'Trainspotting' Boyle's new mind bending heist-em-up which tells that tale of young Simon (James 'Welcome To The Punch' McAvoy), a fine art auctioneer, teams up with a criminal gang to steal a Goya painting worth upwards of £25million.

Simon is ideally placed for this inside job as he is trained in what to do if any attempt is made to steal a high value object during auction - his is the duty to bag the painting and get it to the quick drop time delay vault.

"be careful who you trust"

But the heist doesn't go exactly to plan and after suffering a blow to the head during the heist Simon awakens to discover he has no memory of where he hid the painting. This isn't great news for the heavy duty crims he is in partnership with and they decide to try and 'help' him remember by pulling out his finger nails..

But neither physical threats and actual torture can get Simon to talk, so the gang’s leader Frank (Vincent Cassel) hires hypnotherapist Elizabeth Lamb (Rosario 'Sin City' 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.

"you will post this picture on twitter..."

This is just the tip of an Inception sized iceberg where plotlines melt and timelines jump, before long the rug will have been pulled from beneath you several times but never in an arbitary way,

TRANCE works really well on many levels. It packs action, sex, violence, art, hypnosis, betrayal, love, greed and trust into its twisted hyper-real production.

Boyle directs with flair and the cast deliver, especially McAvoy who is great in the lead role. Prepare for a freaky thrill ride that grips to the bitter end.

This is one to see and discuss with your friends...


Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

öööö - get inside the mind of a criminal

4 – Boyle delivers a fine thriller

Awesomeness öööö – nothing is what it seems

Laughs öö – a couple of funny moments

Horror ööö  – gets a little nasty in places

Babes ööö – Dawson goes shaved full frontal

Spiritual Enlightenment ö - suggestable?

"pretty as a picture"