During an armed robbery at an art gallery Simon Masterson in knocked unconscious and suffers from amnesia where a £25 million painting is stolen . As it transpires Simon was the inside man on the job and he's forgotten where he's stashed the painting and the gang aren't in any mood to let Simon's amnesia foil their criminal dividends . Simon undergoes hypnosis with a beautiful female therapist in order to regain his memory knowing if he fails the art thieves he's involved with will have no further use of him
I had high hopes for TRANCE as soon as it was announced . Danny Boyle stole the show at the Olympics with his opening and closing ceremonies the screenplay is written Joe Ahearne who was the main director of the all too short era of Christopher Eccleston's DOCTOR WHO and like Boyle can work visual miracles on a limited budget which leaves me puzzled why Boyle and Ahearne haven't relocated to Hollywood but I very much appreciate both film makers have stayed in Britain and are involved in British film making . That said when ever I look forward to a Boyle movie I'm always left with after I've seen it with a slight feeling of disappointment and wonder if his undisputed masterwork is around the corner
TRANCE get off to a great opening and is similar to his earlier work in travelling through the metaphysical psyche of a character very much like the audience see in to the mind of Renton in TRAINSPOTTING . The opening sequences of the movie as the language of cinema are used to a breathtaking effect as Simon breaks down the fourth figurative wall of cinema . The whole look of the movie is hypnotic as a combination of cinematography , editing and the in your face blasting soundtrack grips you harder than one of the infected from 28 DAYS LATER
The much voiced criticism of Danny Boyle is that he can't sustain the second half of a movie . With the exception of 28 DAYS LATER and SUNSHINE it's not something I've really noticed and when I have noticed it it's obviously been the fault of screenwriter Alex Garland rather than Boyle and the director manages to keep up the visual assault on the audience but the more the film continues the more spanners are thrown in the works and these are down to Ahearne and fellow writer John Hodge
This movie belongs in the sub-genre with the likes of TOTAL RECALL , THE MATRIX , MEMENTO and INCEPTION that use the theme of altered reality to tell a story . Several times you think the narrative plot turns are cheating the intrigued compelled audience but then you have a character explaining the twist and the audience gasp that they're not victims of contrivance or cheating . However the more the story continues the more and more you realise the characters are spouting the mechanics of the plot which is a mistake . Add to this by the final third the characters are still spouting exposition but by then you're relatively lost as to what's happening , only to have the protagonist behind the set up once again go in to a long monologue what their agenda has been . On top of that none of the characters are likable in any way and when the least hateful character in a film is played by Vincent Cassel something has gone wrong somewhere
In summary TRANCE lives up to the old cliché that " If a film is good it's down to the director and when it's bad it's down to the screenplay " and this is a movie that lives up to that well worn adage . Certainly it's enjoyable and even someone like myself who is against petite bourgeois nationalism feels a surge of jingoistic patriotic pride when a film stamped with Made In Britain tries to be a mainstream success . Unfortunately one suspects this won't be the international success SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE was due to it being far too clever for it's own good
I had high hopes for TRANCE as soon as it was announced . Danny Boyle stole the show at the Olympics with his opening and closing ceremonies the screenplay is written Joe Ahearne who was the main director of the all too short era of Christopher Eccleston's DOCTOR WHO and like Boyle can work visual miracles on a limited budget which leaves me puzzled why Boyle and Ahearne haven't relocated to Hollywood but I very much appreciate both film makers have stayed in Britain and are involved in British film making . That said when ever I look forward to a Boyle movie I'm always left with after I've seen it with a slight feeling of disappointment and wonder if his undisputed masterwork is around the corner
TRANCE get off to a great opening and is similar to his earlier work in travelling through the metaphysical psyche of a character very much like the audience see in to the mind of Renton in TRAINSPOTTING . The opening sequences of the movie as the language of cinema are used to a breathtaking effect as Simon breaks down the fourth figurative wall of cinema . The whole look of the movie is hypnotic as a combination of cinematography , editing and the in your face blasting soundtrack grips you harder than one of the infected from 28 DAYS LATER
The much voiced criticism of Danny Boyle is that he can't sustain the second half of a movie . With the exception of 28 DAYS LATER and SUNSHINE it's not something I've really noticed and when I have noticed it it's obviously been the fault of screenwriter Alex Garland rather than Boyle and the director manages to keep up the visual assault on the audience but the more the film continues the more spanners are thrown in the works and these are down to Ahearne and fellow writer John Hodge
This movie belongs in the sub-genre with the likes of TOTAL RECALL , THE MATRIX , MEMENTO and INCEPTION that use the theme of altered reality to tell a story . Several times you think the narrative plot turns are cheating the intrigued compelled audience but then you have a character explaining the twist and the audience gasp that they're not victims of contrivance or cheating . However the more the story continues the more and more you realise the characters are spouting the mechanics of the plot which is a mistake . Add to this by the final third the characters are still spouting exposition but by then you're relatively lost as to what's happening , only to have the protagonist behind the set up once again go in to a long monologue what their agenda has been . On top of that none of the characters are likable in any way and when the least hateful character in a film is played by Vincent Cassel something has gone wrong somewhere
In summary TRANCE lives up to the old cliché that " If a film is good it's down to the director and when it's bad it's down to the screenplay " and this is a movie that lives up to that well worn adage . Certainly it's enjoyable and even someone like myself who is against petite bourgeois nationalism feels a surge of jingoistic patriotic pride when a film stamped with Made In Britain tries to be a mainstream success . Unfortunately one suspects this won't be the international success SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE was due to it being far too clever for it's own good