Sometimes, a movie comes along with all the right elements: a good story, a great crew, a talented director, a strong cast, etc. Sometimes that movie takes us by surprise, however, and is an overall letdown for reasons that aren’t easy to pinpoint. Despite everything it has going for it, the movie simply doesn’t work and it can be a befuddling task to figure out why. Being a pretty large fan of two of its key players, I’m disappointed to state that Hypnotic is such a movie.
Ben Affleck stars as a detective who, while endlessly searching for his missing daughter, finds himself involved with “hypnotics”, people with the power to easily manipulate others into doing their bidding. The storyline has the potential to make for a fascinating and thrilling film. Unfortunately, that potential is lost with a haphazard screenplay structure that favors the setups for massive plot twists over proper storyline care and character development. Like some of M. Night Shyamalan’s weaker films, Hypnotic relies far too heavily on the power of its surprises rather than making sure its audience is informed enough to be engrossed in its ride.
The screenplay faults could be a bit more forgivable if the filmmaking style wasn’t so bland. While the film is technically well-made and there is nothing particularly wrong with its execution and presentation, there’s also nothing about Hypnotic that positively stands out, either. The film is made in a very obvious and uninspired fashion, as if was realized by a filmmaking team whose main priority was to play it safe and avoid presenting something that has never before been done.
Hypnotic was edited, co-photographed, co-written, and directed by Robert Rodriguez, one of the most creative, multi-talented, and visionary filmmakers of his time. His signature frenzied, early Sam Raimi-inspired style that features kinetically innovative camerawork, fast-paced and razor-sharp editing, and overall comic book-like sensibilities has found its way into the majority of his many genre efforts, namely his El Mariachi, Spy Kids, Sin City, and Machete films. In the case of Hypnotic, however, Rodriguez has pretty much ditched his directorial trademarks in exchange for a more grounded and sedate approach. While Rodriguez deserves applause for reaching for a certain maturity outside of his comfort zone, the resulting film is disappointingly stale and generic and could have been made by just about anyone who doesn’t possess his grand and singular vision.
Though he’s at his best as a director and has never been a natural-born actor, Affleck has, over the years, evolved into a highly sturdy, reliable, and affable screen presence who knows how to choose roles that suit him well. His charm and dedication serve Hypnotic and his role within it as best as they can, but Affleck is fighting an uphill battle in trying to create a complex character within a movie that simply doesn’t make the proper room for it. Affleck is good in the film, but his performance still underwhelms because the character he’s portraying lacks true shading and heart.
Hypnotic is a hopelessly average movie made by some highly gifted people. It’s disappointing when talents like Affleck and Rodriguez deliver a film that fails to showcase what makes them so undeniably exceptional in the first place. Hopefully, they’ll embrace the true nature of their talents in the future and their next films will serve as a reminder of the high quality of work that they have to offer. Unfortunately, the only thing Hypnotic truly reminds us of is that talent, no matter how great, is never entirely infallible.
GRADE: C-
