Review: Trance (2013)

Snap Judgment: The first 10 minutes of this made it look like an art heist caper, along the lines of Ocean’s 11 or Now You See Me. It’s not. It’s a psychological clusterfuck that doesn’t so much leave you questioning reality, as it does leave you questioning why the hell you just wasted nearly two hours on this junk. James McAvoy (aka Professor X) is a seemingly charming art auctioneer who is actually violently psychotic. Rosario Dawson is a hypnotherapist who takes the fact that her new client is mixed up with a bad crowd just a little too well to not draw suspicion. She is also either weeping silently or being coolly enigmatic and her motivations are muddled at best. The film is slow and gory and confusing. The shaving of lady parts is an actual plot point. Everyone tries to be clever but comes out looking pretty dumb. And everyone I watched it with hated it.

Rating: F

Final Verdict: No, no, God no. It delivers nothing but a grinding headache.

Instead, watch: Oceans 11, A Fish Called Wanda, Now You See Me if you want a heist/caper film. Side Effects if you want a moody psychological thriller. Or just re-watch Inception if you want a moody psychological thriller heist film.