Trance

Danny Boyle has become something of a national treasure. His work on the opening ceremony for last year's Olympics won him widespread acclaim and, for many, was one of the highlights of the whole Games. Trance, Boyle's first film since his Olympic triumph, marks a return to the cinema that he loves: kinetic, unrestrained and wildly infectious. It is clear to see that Boyle had a blast making the film and used it as a counterpoint to the sincerity of the Olympics (it was shot at the same time as preparations were underway for the opening ceremony). The result is a crime thriller which oozes Boyle's inimitable energy and which will, most definitely, leave audiences scratching their heads.

Trance is a film about the mind, its manipulation and the influence of memory. When art auctioneer Simon (James McAvoy) agrees to pull an inside job for a criminal gang and steal a valuable painting during its sale, it seems as though the theft will be straight forward. But during the heist, the painting goes missing and Simon is hit on the head, leaving him with memory loss and unable to remember where he hid the painting. The head of the gang (played by Vincent Cassel) is, of course, not best pleased with Simon's amnesia and instructs a hypnotherapist (Rosario Dawson) to explore Simon's mind to try and reclaim his memories. The resulting film is a trippy and psychedelic mind puzzler with plenty of Boyle's cinematic tropes and quirks.

From the opening shots, it is clear that this is a Danny Boyle film. A beating soundtrack accompanies a chaotic mix of fast camera shots and intense colour, as if a stained glass window has been smashed and the resulting fragments caught on film. Suitably energised performances added to the fun and the whole film felt intoxicating and several twists and turns in the plot were exciting, if rather unbelievable. In many ways, Trance is a sordid and grim film and makes no apologies for its violence, sex and sleaziness. The narrative does, however, keep the audience guessing and is – in parts – genuinely thrilling. The denouement was nicely handled and audiences will, I think, feel satisfied by the film's conclusion.

The main joy to be taken from Trance is Boyle's captivating aesthetic approach to film-making. Beautifully composed shots captured the film's themes of fragmented memories and exploitation. Dynamic colours, cinematography and a pounding, hypnotic soundtrack showed once more that there is no director quite like Danny Boyle. Despite the thrilling set pieces and confident performances, there were some fundamental problems which prevented the film from being ranked alongside Boyle's other great works.

Firstly, it was odd to watch a film where all of the characters were about as likeable as a traffic warden working on commission. This lack of empathy, even for McAvoy's character, played down (for me, at least) any real sense of consequence in the film; a shame, given the strength of the cast. Perhaps this was what the script was aiming for: a removed and clinical approach to moral ambiguity and violence. In the end, however, it felt rather disengaging.

Secondly, and more importantly, the film suffered from a lack of depth. Plenty of ideas were thrown around by the script but with little real meat on the bones. For a film which is about delving down into the mind and exploring hidden ideas, it was disappointing to leave the cinema feeling that the whole movie was rather superficial. When placed alongside other films of this genre, Boyle's efforts feel energised, visually-stunning but, ultimately, rather hollow. Indeed, there's a far superior film which deals with similar subjects and does so with more narrative and intellectual tenacity. It's called Inception. 

Clapperboard Rating: * * *