Trance (2013)

Boring

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

There is a disconnect between the gravity and violence of the events depicted and the sleek, shiny, over-stylish packaging. Moreover, the story is so complicated that it becomes difficult to understand. It is one thing to expect the viewer to pay attention, it is another to pour a bottle of champagne in the viewer and let him loose in a maze-shaped hall of mirrors.The story concerns the disappearance of an unusually ominous painting by Goya called "Witches in flight". There is a rich vein of symbolism here that might have been better mined than is the case. (But then, I suppose that the makers of the movie realized that the stark horror of the painting would not go well with the glossy, stylish look.) At one point in the movie - I'm trying to avoid spoilers - it becomes clear that the Goya has been kept hidden under tragic circumstances. These circumstances were also deeply deleterious to the painting. As a result one would expect the painting to be damaged, possibly even damaged beyond recognition. But no, it remains just as beautiful as ever. And to think that there are crown jewellers, art historians, restorers,... etc who would only approach such a masterwork according to a strict protocol. The fools !All of the above is pretty sad, since the movie also boasts some fine performances, especially from the two protagonists. There are also moments of whimsy and (very dry) wit. So. Did I ever tell you how I forgot my Rubens at the tobacconist's ?

The film started off great.Typical Danny Boyle. Both my wife and I thought it was going to be a classic. The wife dozed off half way through it, suffering from bewilderment. When she awoke asked me to explain what had happened so far. To be honest, I had no idea.....I hadn't a clue. It was more like a jig-saw with lots of pieces missing than a straight forward movie. Sorry, Danny boy but for me, it was a No-no.

Four semi-naked figures are writhing in thin air. Three of them wear thin, pointed hats, and are holding the fourth against his will. His face is twisted into an agonised grimace as his captors suck and gnaw at his flesh. Beneath this gruesome foursome, a fifth man cowers under a blanket, his fists extended in a vain attempt to ward off the torment hovering above – or perhaps inside – his head. No, this isn't a scene from Trance, the cheerfully discombobulated new thriller from Danny Boyle: it is in fact the scene depicted in Witches in the Air, a painting by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya, which is the target of the art heist around which the film revolves. At around the halfway point, however, you may well be able to sympathise with the chap who has the sheet over his head. I think it's worth mentioning that Boyle was hanging on to this script since he made "Shallow Grave" and at filming he was also pulling off the Olympics Opening Ceremony. Not to detract from the reviewer's critical observances and Boyle certainly applies his style to his movies. It was a fun movie that you can enjoy once, like Christopher Nolan's Memento. Every so many years someone pulls off a heavy plot twist film really well. I think this one counts.It has the sort of manic energy that makes Boyle's movies so interesting; unfortunately, it also has many of the flaws that make them so frustrating. It's no coincidence that most iconic moments in Boyle's work — the "Choose life…" monologue from "Trainspotting" (1996), the zombie attacks from "28 Days Later" — involve the characters running. Boyle is a sprinter: His movies start out fast and energetic, but can't sustain the pace for too long. His career is full of films that are great for the first hour and then devolve into generic blandness ("Sunshine" (2007) and "The Beach" are two of the most obvious examples).While "Trance" never falls apart, its closing stretch involves several shifts in emotional perspective that the movie doesn't really pull off. To make matters worse, Boyle ends the whole thing on a sentimental note which doesn't jibe with the nihilist tone of the final act (this is also a common Boyle problem). The awkward shoehorning of Big, Serious Themes into the pulp premise doesn't help, either. However, if you can look past the sputtering conclusion — or the pseudo-intellectual banter about memory, modern art, and other assorted nonsense — what you'll find is a brisk, breezy, style-heavy crime flick that happens to be one of the most purely entertaining movies Boyle has made in a long time.

Every few years a film comes out that just blows your mind and makes you wonder how its creators could have conceived of such cinematic genius......This is not one of them. I will say though that this film is stunningly bad. If that is possible. This production appears to have everything you would possibly need...no shortage of toys, an expensive (if misplaced) cast and no end of posh looking locations and ways to keep the camera doing cool things. Somehow though, what Boyle has ended up with is a kind of 90s music video full of garish primaries and a cast of once cool cats who now must be holding their heads in deep deep shame. Vincent Cassel sounds terrible in the English language and Rosario Dawson must have been dying on the inside when she had to walk out on set showing herself fully shaved (of her credibility)....for what purpose other than mild titillation of those on set gawking at the monitor. Somehow even the (soft core) sex in the film is a turn off and all the whispering, lingering looks, and general mincing around in apartments, only slows things down to the point when you start deconstructing the story (that feels like a nine year old boy's concept for a "cool movie")...and the fact that the film has no known protagonist (seems to start with McAvoy and end with Dawson?) The only positive I can say about this film is that it serves as a perfect cautionary tale for talented young British actors who might be the next James McAvoy...how so much talent can be wasted on this this sort of dross...god knows. Please come back James.When, in the finale, she drives a truck into a flaming car that then plunges into the ocean that contains two out of the three possible leads...you can't help but think it's all symbolic of how Danny Boyle must have felt making this....like a bad dream where the Hollywood machine was driving him relentlessly into a murky ocean of industrial grandiose mediocrity and he's in flames. Please avoid renting this, you'll only encourage who ever financed it, to do it all again someday.