In Robert Rodriguez’s new film Hypnotic you are taken on a bumpy ride with an ever-changing narrative with a sting in the tail. It plays with reality with reckless abandon and challenges you to piece together a less-than-satisfactory first half with a more engaging final two reels.
Ben Affleck plays Detective Danny Rourke, a damaged man who is still dealing with the kidnap loss of a daughter and a life that unravelled from that point on. While on duty he is called to the scene of a potential bank robbery and this is where things get rather strange.
As events unfold you are left with a number of misdirections that collectively send you in several wrong directions. The film incorporates a multiple-genre approach. It’s a little bit police procedural, a little bit science fiction and a little bit phycological horror and it never squarely lands in any one category
Tying so many disparate threads into a cohesive strand is a challenge that Rodriguez is almost up for. He’s not helped by several vague character arcs but this is the interesting part when the final reveal happens, the lens is cleaned and the ambiguity is resolved.
Rob Hudson
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