Detective Danny Rourke’s (Ben Affleck) daughter is missing, taken right in front of him. It’s been years, and there’s still no sign of where his daughter might be–but one day he finds something that just might lead him back to the one thing he wants more than anything else in this world. Hypnotic is a sci-fi thriller that plays with the boundaries of reality and sees Danny fighting for his and his daughter’s lives. Hot on the trail of mystery man Dellrayne (William Fichtner), he may just get what he’s been searching for.
From the opening moments I struggled with Hypnotic. Nearly every aspect of the film fails to develop as needed, and the film ultimately fails to entertain from the second it begins. The biggest perpetrator is Affleck.
This is the Affleck that I have come to know after years of seeing him incapable of producing real emotion. He’s troubled here, incapable of doing his job, incapable of leading a film of this nature. Action films aren’t for Affleck, they don’t support him the way they need to, and the often fast-paced nature of these films just seem to be too much for him to handle. Hypnotic is the next in a catalog of poorly executed films on Afflecks part–and with him being unable to deliver, the film fails to live up to my expectations.
The story is whacky, and that’s potentially alright–but the fashion in which it’s presented to viewers is ineffective and frustrating. I can get on board with films that feature science fiction and other-worldly elements, but it needs to be understood that the things playing out in front of viewers are in fact fiction. There isn’t enough dramatic vigor in the moments of massive reveal–and Hypnotic plays out not just like the content is normal in this fictional world, but in our real world as well. The unrealistic nature by which the plot is revealed to viewers is off putting–and it only recovers (just barely) in the final act of the film.
The saving grace of the film–and really it’s not enough to save the film–is the set design. As Hypnotic progresses it does a good job of presenting viewers with just enough to allow them to suspend their disbelief (even if only for a moment). Hypnotic is fighting for air from the very beginning, and with how troubled the acting and the story are–there isn’t much that can be done to save it. However, the fact of the matter is that there is something to like about every film–and in Hypnotic it’s the set design. They are a stellar combination of simplistic and elaborate–and this juxtaposition allows for a bit of understanding in regard to a convoluted narrative. It’s really fighting to stay afloat–but the set design provides some semblance of order in an otherwise disasterly film.
From the opening moments it’s clear that Hypnotic doesn’t have what it takes to positively affect an audience. There’s one thing that lasts throughout the entirety of the film and that’s the fact that Affleck ultimately can’t keep up–and Hypnotic proves that movies of this nature are outside of his wheelhouse, outside of what he’s able to accomplish. The whole of Hypnotic falls flat, and from the very beginning I struggled to appreciate what Director Robert Rodriguez brings to life.
Directed by Robert Rodriguez.
Written by Robert Rodriguez & Max Borenstein.
Starring Ben Affleck, Alice Braga, JD Pardo, Daya Okeniyi, Jeff Fahey, Jackie Earle Haley, William Fichtner, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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