Danny Rourke is determined to find his missing daughter, or at least learn what happened to her, he finds himself investigating some bizarre and inexplicable cases, where the crimes seem almost impossible.

I was almost quick to switch off, and simply dismiss it as a poor man's Inception, and whilst there are definitely some shades, that obscure surrealism, it's kind of worth sticking with.

I'm a big fan of Ben Affleck, and I'd watch him in anything, and boy has he been in some awful films, this one is far from awful, but it should have been so much better.

The narrative at times is non existent, you'll be sat wondering who, what, where, and on the other side, you have the psychic explaining bits of the plot, presumably to try and give the audience a clue as to what's going on, if you're not concentrating, you will lose it.

On the plus side, it looks great, and it does feel a little different to what's out there, Affleck and Braga are both good, though I feel their characters are both stuck in second gear, neither really offer up too much.

All in all, it's watchable, but it's a frustrating watch.

5/10.

Given the fact that I don't keep up with upcoming movies, nor watch much of any trailers, then I wasn't familiar with this 2023 mystery thriller titled "Hypnotic" prior to sitting down and watching it. Initially, I must admit that I wasn't really expecting a whole lot from the movie, since I am by no means a fan of Ben Affleck.

However, I will say that writers Robert Rodriguez and Max Borenstein put together a surprisingly entertaining and enjoyable script. The plot is really nicely constructed - pardon the pun - and I like the way that the writers keeps the audience in the dark, letting us guess and speculate as to what is real or not, and as to what is really going on. I have to admit that I was genuinely entertained throughout the 93 minutes that the movie ran for. So thumbs up to the writers on that accomplishment.

The acting performances in "Hypnotic" were great, and Ben Affleck really carried the movie quite nicely. This was certainly one of the more interesting and enjoyable of Ben Affleck movies in my opinion. The movie also have some nice performances from the likes of Alice Braga, Jeff Fahey, Jackie Earle Haley and especially William Fichtner. I have to admit that it was William Fichtner whom really stood out in the movie.

Visually then "Hypnotic" was good. The movie was not heavy in the use of special effects, but whatever effects and CGI were used in the movie were definetely used very nicely to lift up the narrative and further the storyline in the movie. I found that to be rather nice.

"Hypnotic" is a very enjoyable mystery thriller, and it completely took me by surprise. In fact, this is a movie that I most certainly would recommend you to take 93 minutes out of your schedule to sit down and watch. I have to say that I was actually left with a 'wow' sensation once the movie came to a conclusion, and I have been genuinely entertained throughout the entire course of the movie.

My rating of director Robert Rodriguez's 2023 movie lands on a seven out of ten stars.

Danny Rourke is a police detective whose daughter was abducted. A bank robbery has an unusual element: an individual is able to exert incredible hypnotic control over strangers. These people are known as hypnotics, and it turns out that there may be a connection with his daughter's disappearance.

This film, starring Ben Affleck and directed and co-written by Robert Rodriguez, poses mysteries right from the start and, throughout its length, answers them and raises more questions. In short, it's a decent sci-fi tinted thriller, with loads of twists and turns, many of them very satisfying. Affleck seems like he's having great fun and William Fichtner, as usual, is a great villain.

Or is he?

Hmm....