An art auction employee (James McAvoy), heavily indebted to a gangster (Vincent Cassel) and familiar with the intricate workings of his firms security protocol, stages a robbery of an invaluable Goya painting, crosses his creditor but, thanks to a blow to the head, can't remember where he hid the original. After a few torture sessions fail to ignite his memory, they enlist the help of a gorgeous and ethically unscrupulous hypnotherapist (Rosario Dawson) to help determine the painting's location. Danny Boyle's Trance, which reteams him with John Hodge, the penner of some of his early career success (Shallow Grave, Trainspotting) is murky, overplotted, and hyperstylized, and even though its conclusion isn't half as exciting as its set-up, it can't be said that the film is boring. I enjoyed Dawson's work, even though her relationships with her costars are dubious at best, and McAvoy and Cassel deliver surprisingly tame, uninspiring performances.
