Now where in the hell did I put that painting?
This is just the first of many questions surrounding Trance, the latest film from Oscar winning director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, Trainspotting, 28 Days Later). Boyle uses his own creativeness and style to bring a film that is convoluted on purpose and keeps the audience guessing until the very end. Trance is a modern film noir with a real spin.
It’s very clear Boyle has absolutely no interest in being conventional with his storytelling, which helps and hurts the film in the long run. Boyle’s latest is an entertaining mind-thriller where you may think you know where the plot is heading and feel comfortable with your assumptions. But then the realization suddenly hits you that you didn’t know anything at all.
James McAvoy plays Simon, who works at an auction house specializing in fine art. He was a gambling addict and with all of the gambling came a huge debt. But then enters Franck (Vincent Cassel), a smooth criminal who is willing to lend a helping hand to Simon and his money problems. Franck pays off all of Simon’s debt. In return, wants a rare Goya painting called “Witches in the Air.”
It just so happens to be the exact painting sitting in Simon’s workplace.
Along with some of Franck’s madmen buddies, him and Simon hatch a plan to steal the masterpiece and cash in big time. However, during the heist Simon tries to take a different path. He is struck in the head for doing so, and that puts him in a coma. When he finally wakes up, Franck and the gang are there wanting answers.
Come to find out, Simon did sneak out with the painting and has hidden it somewhere. There is just one problem: Simon can’t remember where it is. After a little bit of talking and some torturing, Simon makes Franck a believer and truly has no idea where he put the valuable art. Then Franck comes up with a new strategy to get the information he needs. He lets Simon pick any hypnotherapist he wants and he randomly chooses Elizabeth Lamb (Rosario Dawson). It’s her job to get inside the mind of Simon and retrieve the memories of that specific day and find out what else is hidden in that head of his.
Cassel is an exceptional actor and his talent shows in this film. But surprisingly, he is more of a supporting character. He takes a back seat to the intense, mesmerizing performances of McAvoy and Dawson. McAvoy is starting to show a different side of his acting mentality. This year alone is enough proof after being in Welcome to the Punch, this film, and the upcoming Filth. He appears stronger yet darker and more dangerous at the same time. He is fully responsible for carrying the weight of this film and definitely goes at it with full force.
In Trance, Dawson plays her riskiest role yet and in return marks her best performance to date. It is refreshing to see her take on something daring and different, which she is fully capable of doing and she reminds us of that in this film. Never has she been so exposed (literally) and vulnerable, and she pulls it off with great emotion and confidence. Her character is much more pivotal than I first thought. She does not play a woman who stands on the sidelines and watches the game pass her by. She’s right there in the mix with her own motives when it comes to her involvement with Simon and Franck. She is not afraid to get her hands dirty. She kind of likes it.
Boyle has an assortment of tricks up his sleeve (arguably too many) with Trance. I think he gets great pleasure out of messing with the audience. He uses pieces of reality, hallucinations, and flashbacks to deliver the story. We spend most of our time trying to wrap our minds around it. There is no question Boyle is ambitious and has this certain uniqueness that the film hands down benefits from.
Yet while Trance is intriguing and clever up to a certain point, it begins to feel the weight of all of its twists and turns and eventually is unable to keep up with itself. The plot has so many layers that once the final one has been peeled back with the film fully exposed, it has gotten too carried away and becomes too unbelievable.
Unfortunately, what disappoints me the most is if Boyle would have pulled the reigns back a bit and left out just a few minor parts, Trance could have been one of his best.
“Nature Boy” Brandon Vick is the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and star of Brandon’s Box Office In Your Mouth. Follow him on Twitter@SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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