Is the trailer for the upcoming psychological thriller directed by Robert Rodriguez Hypnoticwhich was released on the Monday before the film’s next theatrical premiere could be described in a single sentence as: What if Kiyoshi Kurosawa cure and Christopher Nolans beginning had a baby? And what if William Fichtner (To make someone angry, The dark knight) had evil psychic powers?
The film stars Ben Affleck as Daniel Rourke, a police officer struggling with the kidnapping of his daughter. When Rourke is called in to investigate a series of mysterious bank robberies in which the culprits appear to have all been placed under hypnotic suggestion, he inadvertently discovers a secret government program linked to a sinister murder criminal (William Fichtner) who has the ability , people distort perceptions of space and time. With the help of a gifted psychic (Alice Braga), Rourke races to apprehend the real culprit before he does any more damage, but can he still be sure whose side he’s on? Does he even have a daughter? Is this movie even real?
Either way, the trailer looks appropriately trippy, explosive, and suspenseful. William Fichtner plays a cross between cure‘s Kunio Mami and jessica jones‘ Kilgrave is worth the price of admission alone, but combine that with Ben Affleck’s hard-nosed performance and Robert Rodriguez-esque action sequences, and Hypnotic could have just what it takes to be one of this year’s biggest surprises. Or it could all be an illusion. We’ll just have to see for ourselves when Hypnotic premieres in theaters on May 12th.
