New DVD review: Danny Boyle's 'Trance'

Since I didn't see any movies in the theater over the weekend, I decided to catch up on some more new DVD releases. The one I was most excited to see was Danny Boyle's latest, the thriller Trance. This film boasts a nice cast (James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson and Vincent Cassel) and hey, it's Danny Boyle for goodness sake. I knew it would at least be a gorgeous film to watch.

That proved very true: Trance is one of the more stylish, visually stunning movies I've seen in a while. Never mind that it's confusing as heck at times...I was simply way too dazzled to care, at least in the moment. Now that I've slept on it, I realize that as beautiful as Trance is, it's also a bit disappointing.

Trance is the story of an art auctioneer who helps a gang of criminals pull off a huge art theft. The problem is, Simon (James McAvoy) can't remember what he did with the Goya's Witches in the Air painting. He's suffering from amnesia, and the gang of criminals, led by Franck (Vincent Cassel) is growing impatient. They want that painting, and they want it now. What to do? Send good Simon to a hypnotist, of course! Enter Dr. Elizabeth Lamb (Rosario Dawson), the hypnotherapist charged with helping Simon dig up his lost memory of where he hid the painting after the heist.

This story goes deeper, of course, but I'll avoid telling you more in case you plan on seeing Trance. Let's just say that it's hard to know who to trust. Characters are not necessarily who they seem to be. Things get confusing. Not Inception confusing - but close enough. Overall though, the story is where Trance is weakest. This film starts out really strong, but goes off the rails pretty quickly. Like I said before though, half the time you're so entranced (see what I did there?) by the visuals you really don't care.

A word of caution: Trance is a rated-R film, and it boasts some pretty hefty sexual situations, lots of nudity and a whole lot more gore than I'd anticipated. This one is not for the youngsters, clearly.

Is Trance worth your time? I say yes. It isn't director Danny Boyle's best work, but it certainly isn't his worst, either.

Photo courtesy of Ain't It Cool News