Boyle’s ‘Trance’ relies heavily on soundtrack, visuals to excite audiences

“Trance,” the latest film by Academy Award-winning director Danny Boyle of “127 Hours” (2010) and “Slumdog Millionaire” (2008), has opened to mixed reviews by critics and it’s easy enough to see why. On one hand, “Trance” often succeeds in its role as a dark and twisty thriller; it is visually mesmerizing and contains a pulsing score that underlines the action as events move at a rapid pace. On the other hand, however, “Trance” is held back from its full potential due to a plot that gets increasingly convoluted as the film progresses. Which side of the argument wins out depend on how intensely you hold the film up to scrutiny. On the whole, “Trance” is an enjoyable thriller with flaws become more apparent in the days after watching it.

“Trance” opens with a fascinating narration by Simon (James McAvoy). An art auctioneer describes the procedures in place should a heist be attempted. Boyle intertwines this with shots of the film’s actual thieves, led by Franck (Vincent Cassel), preparing for an actual heist on the auction house. All of this makes for a gripping sequence.When all hell breaks during the actual heist, Simon is left bloodied and unconscious. We soon find out that Simon was secretly working with Franck and company to engineer the heist, but the desired painting went missing sometime between the heist’s beginning and when the thieves escaped, with Simon being the one person who knows its location. There’s only one problem — he can’t remember where it went. This leads Franck to seek out the services of a professional hypnotherapist, Elizabeth (Rosario Dawson), in the hopes that she’ll help Simon remember the painting’s location.

This opening sequence sets up a fascinating premise for the movie, which then begins to unfold at an ever-quickening pace, leading to an increasing number of plot twists and turns — some telegraphed, some not — that present a puzzle for the audience to try to piece together in a similar vein to Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” (2010). Many of these earlier twists are made believable by the excellent performances of the three leads, who do an admirable job with what they’re given in a script that often seems to favor plot development over character. One interesting achievement of the script, however, is that it manages to have viewers change their allegiances with characters throughout the film.

One of the film’s biggest strengths is its visuals and presentation, which can largely be attributed to Boyle. “Trance” immediately pulls you in and doesn’t let go, at times mimicking the hypnotism that Simon is undergoing. Boyle utilizes a visual palette filled with bright colors that makes for fantastic visuals throughout the entire movie. A pulsing soundtrack filled with electronic loops, both of which aid in keeping you locked in with the film — and possibly forgiving some of the plot holes at the time of viewing. One of the most interesting visual aspects of the film are the series of trance sequences that Simon experiences when working with Elizabeth, as Boyle carefully blurs the line between what is trance and what is reality over the film’s progression.

These effects all make “Trance” highly engrossing, but the film’s grip loosens a bit once the film reaches its finale where the twists are literally being piled on by the minute. It’s sufficient to say that things get messy. Very messy. And while you might leave the theater thinking that you’ll be able to put together the puzzle of the film in the days that follow, there’s a very good chance that you’ll have difficulty lining up all the pieces.

Despite the film not being able to stick the landing in its third act, this flaw shouldn’t detract from “Trace’s” many other merits. As long as you’re willing to accept that the movie isn’t perfect, “Trance” is an enjoyable thriller that is definitely worth a view, if not just to determine for yourself where you will fall on the critical divide.