Determined to locate his missing daughter, Detective Danny Rourke (portrayed by Ben Affleck) descends into a surreal world, investigating a string of crimes that bend the very fabric of reality. Produced by Solstice Studios, Ingenious Media, Studio 8, and Double R Productions, Hypnotic is a mind-bending detective movie with a twist at the end. While the title Hypnotic reveals much, the film defies belief, offering a complex plot that draws comparisons to movies such as Interstellar, The Truman Show, and The Matrix. Yet, Hypnotic stands out on its own, with a charming, albeit flawed, performance by Ben Affleck, whose acting becomes more convincing in the last 20 minutes. Unfortunately, the script is less impressive, receiving a grade of B- compared to some of Affleck’s other films, such as Argo and Pearl Harbor. It’s difficult to understand why Affleck chose to take on this role, apart from perhaps his relationship with Jennifer Lopez, and his co-star Alice Braga which reminded me of Lopez.
Ben Affleck & Alice Braga in “Hypnotic”
As a composer, I was struck by the music, which had some good moments when elements of Bernard Hermann crept in with sinister chamber strings featuring the cello mostly. However, I found the mixing of traditional contrapuntal arrangements with electronic music off-putting. I believe the composer should commit to one medium. The electronic music took me out of my musical “hypnosis” and ruined the score for me. Additionally, there are missed opportunities to use music to build suspense during key moments. Overall, the score is unremarkable and lacks the necessary dynamic range to fully engage the viewer. Overall, the sound was not dynamic enough, which reminded me of the remake of “The Manchurian Candidate” with Denzel Washington, where the score completely ruined the Hitchcock classic.
Ben Affleck in “Hypnotic”
While the movie’s overall effect is underwhelming, it does include some subtle effects and unexpected twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end. Don’t leave too quickly during the credits, as many people did during the showing I attended. There is another critical scene after the first part of the credit roll. I will say I liked that because it gives people involved in the movie the recognition they so deserve. As a result of that cliffhanging teaser in-between the credits, I stayed and watched the entire credit roll for fear I might miss another surprise.
Over all, if I was to rate Hypnotic, I’d give it a B- for “meh.” A fun movie though, just takes a lot of patience.
