"Trance" - Review

“Trance” – Review

“Trance” (Rated R) is about a Londoner art auctioneer named Simon (James McAvoy) who consorts with a underworld boss named Franck (Vincent Cassel of “Mesrine”) and his gang on an audacious plot to steal a masterpiece painting by artist Goya from a major public auction. When it appears at the last moment during the robbery Simon may have double-crossed everyone, Frank angrily knocks Simon unconscious, rendering him in real trauma – maybe.  Or is it that Simon is unwillingly, stubbornly or absolutely shrewd in his absence of any memory as to where he has stashed the stolen artwork. That is the prevailing question.

After beating and torturing Simon for hours in hopes to coercing from him the painting's location Frank reluctantly concludes that maybe a hypnotherapist named Elizabeth (Rosario Dawson) can get Simon to talk in a deepen mental state. But Elizabeth also shrewdly discovers who the gang is and insists on a piece of the stolen arts $25 million dollar value once she helps Simon reveal its hidden location.

This sounds good doesn’t it? The plot, the cast (characters) and screenplay seemly should of worked well together to make for an exhilarating highbrow psychological thrilling ride, but it doesn’t.

Should someone invite you to dinner for a meal on one plate of cake, pizza and steak that while they all may taste good separately, it does not mean they all work well together at the same time.

“Trance” tries way too hard to be smarter than the story requires. Instead it felt more like a movie ‘Goulash’ stew of needless violence, a way too intricate and contrived subplot and an abnormally stylish jumbling screenplay.

2 – 1/2 Stars