Image: Constantin Holdings LLC
Nothing is what it seems in Robert Rodriguez’s action thriller “Hypnotic”. Because Ben Affleck gets to deal with powerful hypnotists who not only manipulate people, but can change their entire reality. Borrowings from blockbusters like “Inception” can’t hide the B-movie nature of “Hypnotic” though.
Ben Affleck plays a cop in trouble. After the kidnapping of his daughter, he is prescribed tangible police work in psychotherapy, which finally leads him to the so-called hypnotics. These wreak havoc with hypnotic commands that they can use to trick people into doing absolutely anything. The cop quickly enlists the help of a well-meaning Hypnotic (Alice Braga) to escape a game of cat and mouse played by William Fichtner’s adversary.
The plot is outrageous. The more twists and turns “Hypnotic” tries to play with different levels of reality, the less sense the story makes. Especially since Ben Affleck’s acting seems out of place. In any case, as a cheeky joker with a dog’s eyes, he doesn’t come across as a victim of child abduction. Some investigative scenes are reminiscent of kitschy crime shows like “Navy CIS”. However, it is precisely in such absurdities that the greatest entertainment potential of the film lies.
Rodriguez has always walked a fine line between iconic B-movie homage, like From Dusk Till Dawn, and actual trash, like Machete Kills. Superficially, “Hypnotic” dispenses with typical Rodriguez features – apart from the location near Mexico or a self-quotation of the bar dialogue with Quentin Tarantino in “Desperado”. The flick also makes use of supernatural extravaganzas like “Inception” in terms of action.
In a direct comparison, however, “Hypnotic” looks like a low-budget variant of such blockbusters – despite the respectable production costs of an estimated 70 million US dollars. Chases and fight sequences don’t tear off your stool despite competent design.
“Hypnotic” has little to do with profound thrillers from Affleck’s later career, for which the actor often sat in the director’s chair himself. “Hypnotic” serves fans who learned to love the once handsome in hams like “Armageddon” and “Daredevil”. As a B-Movie, “Hypnotic” definitely has charm. Its premise of super hypnosis is absurd, but it makes for a hilarious action-guessing game for a weary afternoon. (APA/kai/maf)
“Hypnotic”: Action thriller, USA 2023, 94 min, director: Robert Rodriguez
OÖN Rating:
- The trailer for the film:
Source: Nachrichten
