Actors: James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson, Vincent Cassel, Danny Sapani, Matt Cross
Directors: Danny Boyle
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: July 23, 2013
Run Time: 102 minutes
Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars
When I saw the trailer to “Trance”, I knew that I would be in for a trip of a movie! The film is fast, visually amazing and jam-packed with great twists…all from the wonderful mind of Danny Boyle. Plus top that off some amazing performances from James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson and Vincent Cassel and this is one crazy-fun movie. This is a film that actually makes you think and may not be for everyone. If you are looking for a no-brainer action film then look somewhere else. This challenges you and when you think you got it, it does a 360 degree turn. So if you are looking for something unique, then I would definitely recommend checking this out for sure.
Official Premise: Danny Boyle helms this psychological thriller about an auctioneer falling foul of a gang of ruthless art thieves. When upmarket art auctioneer Simon (McAvoy) double-crosses the gang responsible for the daring daylight robbery of a priceless painting by Goya, he incurs the wrath of the gang’s violent leader, Franck (Cassel). In the aftermath of a beating where he is knocked unconscious, Simon claims to be suffering from amnesia and is therefore unable to remember where the painting is, provoking Franck into hiring female hypnotist Elizabeth (Dawson) to find the answer. But as Elizabeth delves ever deeper into Simon’s subconscious, the lines between fantasy and reality converge, threatening to consume all as a series of shocking events spiral violently out of control.
20th Century Fox is delivering this film as a combo pack with a Blu-ray and HD Digital Copy including UltraViolet streaming. The 1080p transfer is very impressive and shot with a certain hypnotic feel (pun intended). It is framed with a nice aspect ratio of 2.39:1. The star of the release though is the DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 audio track. It is very impressive and honestly a bit of a shock from this little film. The music and dialogue benefit very well for this mix.
The special features are impressive as well but I would have loved to see a cast/crew commentary track. There are seven deleted scenes, which run just over 15 minutes total. “The Power of Suggestion – Making Trance” is a really sharp 30+ minute in-depth behind-the-scenes look at the film’s production. “Danny Boyle: A Retrospective” is a basic rundown on the director’s career to date. “Eugene” is a short film created by Spemcer Susser, which follows the film’s main character coming into the possession of a magic lamp laptop. Lastly there is a trailer and also an easter egg included called “Trance Unraveled”, but you have to find it yourself.
