SYNOPSIS: Simon (James McAvoy), a fine art auctioneer, teams up with a criminal gang to steal a Goya painting worth millions of dollars, but after suffering a blow to the head during the heist he awakens to discover he has no memory of where he hid the painting. When physical threats and torture fail to produce answers, the gang’s leader Frank (Vincent Cassel) hires hypnotherapist Elizabeth Lamb (Rosario Dawson) to delve into the darkest recesses of Simon’s psyche. As Elizabeth begins to unravel Simon’s broken subconscious, the lines between truth, suggestion, and deceit begin to blur.

REVIEW:  

Elizabeth: The choice is yours. Do you want to remember or do you want to forget?

One thing is for sure, this film is one to remember. A well done heist movie seems to never get old. In this journey we have a heist, a hit, and a name . . . Elizabeth Lamb (Rosario Dawson). To say that this movie plays a lot of mind games might be an understatement, but don’t worry, it’s not as bad as Inception. One of the more impressive aspects of the film is the cinematography. It really adds more quality to a quality movie. The camera angles, visuals, colors, sets, and lighting stand out. You have no choice but to take notice. There is a certain sophistication in this and practically every aspect of the film. It is intellectual and sexy, tainted with bloodiness. It is also thrilling to say the least. So much so I actually wrote it down in my notes twice. What helps make it so thrilling is the story which is quite intriguing. What helps make it so intriguing are the performances by the cast, namely two of the lead actors, James McAvoy and Rosario Dawson. Vincent Cassel was pretty good too but James and Rosario really stood out. James seems to have a niche in these drama thrillers. This could be considered one of Rosario’s best performances ever. We get to see so much more of her, in so many ways, that we probably have never seen. The characters they play are interesting too and very appropriate, of course. Having an art auctioneer and a hypnotherapist is so obvious, but they pull it off smoothly and somewhat believably. Needless to say, the title of the film is more than appropriate. The storyline really makes the best use of these characters and combined with the multiple twists, the movie might put you in a trance. It should be no surprise that this movie is as good as it is, given the person at the helm, Danny Boyle. After such works as Trainspotting, The Beach, 28 Days Later, Sunshine, Slumdog Millionaire, and 127 Hours, well, need I say more? This movie could have been cheap and cheesy, but with the cinematography, storyline, cast and crew, and top notch director, it becomes a real treat.

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