All of Danny Boyle’s films depict its hero in groundbreaking fashion. His new film “Trance” appears to be on the same path and I can’t wait to see it. Starring James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson and Vincent Cassel, a man’s life depends on him being able to remember the location of a painting.
“Simon”, played by McAvoy, is an art auctioneer that finds himself amidst a den of thieves. Enter Rosario Dawson as a hypnotherapist, to put ‘Simon’ in a ‘trance’ to recover the work of art. Boyle got an Oscar for his movie “Slumdog Millionaire” that told the story of a teenager in Mumbai that becomes an unlikely winner on the Indian version of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” His first three films, of which he executed with screen-writer John Hodge and producer Andrew McDonald, all featured Ewan McGregor as the lead. In each one, “Shallow Grave” as a newspaper reporter; “Trainspotting” as the endearing junkie; and in “A Life Less Ordinary” as a bungling kidnapper with Cameron Diaz, Boyle’s hero is the guy you’re rooting for amidst some strange tale. “The Beach” pictured Leonardo DiCaprio as the unlikely underdog portraying the privileged American who’s a “Fish out of water” in Thailand.
The horrific hero’s journey in “The Beach” led to Boyle’s first shot at a horror film with “28 Days Later.” It was his first film that featured a writer other than Hodge. Alex Garland did the writing for ’28 Days’ as well as the story for Boyle’s first foray into the Sci-Fi genre with “Sunshine.” ’28 Days’ is about a world turned into zombies due to a viral outbreak and it even had a sequel, of which Boyle was not involved in — but it was good. “Sunshine” takes us on a trip into space with a team of astronauts sent on a mission to re-ignite the dying sun 50 years into the future. All hell breaks loose when each member of the crew seems to become possessed by some mystic force set on deterring them from their goal – it’s a wild weird ride. Nonetheless, the underdog prevails again. Other films by Boyle include “Millions” that’s about a boy who finds a robber’s lost loot and “127 Hours,” which was based on the true heroism of a man forced to save himself due to a mishap while mountain climbing – James Franco starred.
“Trance” brings back the duo of Boyle and Hodge to the silver screen. That’s not all, the two are now working on the long anticipated sequel to “Trainspotting.” Titled “Porno,” it’s based on a novel written by Irvine Welsh, who wrote the Trainspotting novel. Ever since the success and subsequent cult following of “Trainspotting,” fans have been wanting a follow-up. In interviews over the years, to moviegoers desire to experience a ‘Trainspotting’ sequel, Boyle has always said the story’s got to be right. The idea of “Porno” has only been announced recently, so it’s in the very early stages of production. Both McGregor and Robert Carlyle have told me in roundtable discussions for other films they’ve done, that they would be interested in taking part, if and when Boyle decided to do a sequel. “Trance” hit theaters in the U.K. this weekend and will be in limited release in the U.S. on April 5th.
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