Danny Boyle goes for style over substance in hypnotic heist thriller Trance

Danny Boyle flexes his filmmaking muscles in Trance, serving up a mind-bending heist thriller that exercises every cinematic trick in his repertoire. Previously known for his directorial work on Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Slumdog Millionaire and 127 hours, he is on his way to becoming one of the most reputable English directors. In Trance, his visually vivid style descends into the world of mind and memory in the same vein of Christopher Nolan’s Memento and Inception. A pet project more than anything else, it may be a case of style over substance and it doesn’t measure up to the success of his previous efforts but manages to be an entertaining mind-game throughout.

In Trance James McAvoy plays Simon, a fine art auctioneer who teams up with criminal gang leader Frank (Vincent Cassel) to steal a valuable Goya painting. When the heist goes wrong Simon receives a blow to the head and wakes up in hospital with amnesia. In a desperate effort to find the painting before Frank does away with him, Simon turns to hypnotherapist Elizabeth (Rosario Dawson) to help him remember were he has stashed the coveted painting. A love triangle soon emerges between Elizabeth, Simon and Frank stirring paranoia and confusion as to who is loyal to whom. McAvoy, who continues to prove his range and maturity gives a strong performance and Cassel is smartly cast as the sometimes villainous, sometimes playful Frank.

Beginning as a heist film, the plot becomes overly convoluted and goes off the rails in the second half when twists and turns are dealt in ten fold. Suspense is hard to sustain when the direction of the narrative changes in almost each and every scene, playing like a mosaic of memories and fantasies that may or may not be happening. Outbursts of nudity and bizarre hallucinations of violence take place – most notably a head is blown off but keeps talking - as it becomes increasingly difficult to decipher whose trance are we in.

It is a problem of the film that the more we learn about the three main characters, the less likable they become. A power trip between lovers results in a dog-eat-dog fiery conclusion of violence and passion, which includes a car being doused in gasoline and set on fire. As the knot unravels and secrets are exposed, no one is what they seem. At the end of it all, we are left debating whose actions were the most shameful? The plot is somewhat hollow and lacking in human connection, but the performances are strong and the cinematography stylish enough that we are inclined to overlook the gaps in narrative.

Danny Boyle’s direction elevates the material from a puzzled rehash of inception-like thrillers into a stylish and compelling film that plays as a psychological thriller with hints of erotica and neo noir. Trance is a visual treat that is sometimes intriguing, other times bewildering, and an enjoyable cinematic pleasure if not taken too seriously. When dealing within the dreamscape of hypnosis plausibility wears thin, but who cares when it looks as good as this does.