‘Hypnotic’ review: Robert Rodriguez’s work-in-progress movie needs more work to become something less complicated – SXSW

The idea for Hypnotic Created by director Robert Rodriguez around the time of filming spy kids 2He told the audience at the premiere on Sunday night. His love for Austin and SXSW brought him back 30 years later El Mariachi. It was a full circle moment for him and he revealed that this film is in the works. after seeing it Hypnotic It still needs work as it is the case everywhere. Written by Rodriguez (who also provided the score) and Matt Borenstein, the picture stars Ben Affleck, Alice Braga, William Fichtner, Jeff Fahey and Dayo Okeniyi.

Hypnotic begins with Daniel Rourke (Affleck), an agent in a therapy session. He distances himself, thinking about his missing daughter, but is brought back to reality by the therapist’s phone call. The trauma lies in the disappearance of his child in the park – when he turned away for a second, she was gone – and he deeply regrets not being aware of his surroundings. With the case still open, the daughter is believed to have been murdered, but her body has not been found.

When he finishes therapy, Rourke meets with his partner to plan a possible robbery at the Bank of Austin, led by a mysterious man, Liv Del Rayne (Fichtner), with whom they see him dating a woman who talks at a bank. Unaware of what was said by the police, the woman suddenly complains that it’s too hot, starts to undress and walks straight into traffic, prompting Rourke to hear that there is a connection between Rayne and his daughter’s disappearance. . To find out more, Rourke seeks out Diana (Alice Braga), a psychic and hypnotist who can use her words to alter human reality. She informs him that the man he is looking for is one of the most powerful hypnotists in the world who cannot be caught by pure police tactics. With this new information, the two team up to find out why Rayne is targeting Rourke, which could be the key to finding his child.

Take Christopher Nolan’s starta bit mixed total recall, Sprinkle Satoshi Kon’s over paprika and some noir beats a la North Northwestput it in a blender and you’re done Hypnotic. Always approaching the genre in a creative and inventive way, Rodriguez always comes up with global concepts to explore and is not only one of Hollywood’s most gifted writers. He is a big fan of giving the audience details upfront and letting the characters run wild, which is the most exciting element of his storytelling style. His leadership has always been his most impressive asset. Science fiction and magical realism are his groove and he knows how to visually materialize these ideals in a balanced way.

But more often than not, his writing lacks the coherence needed to tell great stories. There is a tendency to cram in so much detail that it borders on incomprehensible. Twists and turns are a staple of compelling suspense movies, and collecting breadcrumbs to piece together the logic is what makes the genre so entertaining. But there is such a thing as too many twists Hypnotic Your head turns 360 degrees to keep up with every new development that is introduced. This continues until the credits roll. When it was over, I realized I had spent so much time gathering and processing new details that I had forgotten to enjoy myself.

Affleck as the protagonist doesn’t help either Hypnotic‘s cause when you sleepwalk through this. There is no emotion, no intonation in his voice or tone; it’s all wood and flat. Had the actor been more enthusiastic about the material, the experience would have been taken to the next level, but he never puts enough energy into anchoring the story’s eccentricities. Braga is the only one who is stubborn and if she would play the lead role I might have a very different opinion.

I don’t want to be too harsh because of the cut of Hypnotic from sunday night is not a finished product. To its credit, the film is never boring and has a solid concept solid enough to be left behind, but it needs a major overhaul to find a middle ground. But again, I don’t see what else can be added to this movie that doesn’t make it longer than the current 2½ hour running time.