Rent Hypnotic (2023)

Very Clever - Hypnotic review by sb

FILM & REVIEW Went into this with low expectations as it got really slated and died at the box office but was pleasantly suprised how much I enjoyed it. Affleck plays Rourke a cop whose daughter was kidnapped a few years back but even though the kidnapper is caught has no recall of what happened. He comes across a bank robbery in progress but it’s an odd one in that one man (Fitcher) has the power of auto suggestion so gets various bank employees to do it on his behalf. He is only after a single safe deposit box every time and this one is revealed to contain a photo of Rourke’s daughter and the words Find Delrayne. His investigation leads him to Diana (Braga) who is a psychic who used to work for a shadowy Govt organisation called The Division led by Delrayne who is seeking a secret weapon called Domino. Not going to give away any more but it’s very clever the way each reality is just a construct within a construct and each plot point is a clue to revealing the true nature of what is going on, Sure it can be seen as a shopping list of influences with Total Recall, The Matrix and loads of nods to Chris Nolan but Rodreguiz keeps the whole rattling along and in an age where all movies seem to exceed the 140 minute plus running time this is a success at a smidge under 90 minutes. Well worth a look - 4/5

OK - Hypnotic review by TB

Quite enjoyable.. it has it's moments.. and an interesting story line.. but really not very good overall...

Robert Rodriguez directing - this is quite a drop from the genius that was Sin City...

Exemplary thriller - Hypnotic review by Alphaville

Superb and fascinating thriller with an evil master ‘hypnotic’ who can make anyone do or see anything. What if even the landscape isn’t what it seems? How does our hero cop Ben Affleck fight that? Can even the viewer believe what they’re watching unfold on screen? Poor reviews of this film seem to focus on the ridiculous premiss, but that didn’t hinder superhero films, The Terminator, John Wicke etc. Actor Robert Rodriguez’ first film as writer and director is an unexpected masterclass in plotting and pacing. No subplots, no schmalz, no time-fillers. From the very first scene, this is lean, mean film-making and it fairly rattles along, full of surprise action scenes and mind-boggling plot revelations. Sure, it’s all extremely silly, but you won’t be bored for a second. How many films can you say that about these days?