Director: Lasse Hallstrom
Writer: Paolo Vacirca (Screenplay) Alexander Ahndoril (Novel)
Starring: Tobias Zilliacus, Mikael Persbrandt, Lena Olin, Helena Af Sandeberg, Oscar Pettersson, Anna Azcarte
Plot: A detective pairs himself with a famous psychologist on a case involving a traumatized young witness to a crime.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Solid and Intense Thriller
Story: The Hypnotist starts with the graphic murder of a family with just the son Josef (Bokman) survive the attack, Police Officer Joona Linna (Zilliacus) needs to investigate but with the boy not looking great a nurse Daniella (Sandeberg) suggest Erik Maria Bark (Persbrandt) to help with the investigation.
With one family member, missing Joona must work with Erik to hypnotise Josef in search of any details which help locate the killer and save his missing sister from a fate the rest of their family has endured. When the serial killer learns of this partnership he takes Erik’s son threatening to kill him if Erik continues to help the police.
Thoughts on The Hypnotist
Story – We have a story which is focused on a serial killer being hunted down by a cop and a psychotherapist who specialises in hypnotherapy to treat his patients. We get all the check list ticked off with an intense story that includes twists coming from different directions and a story which does keep us guessing. If you are a fan of the crime thrillers you are going to enjoy this one.
Crime/Drama/Thriller – We have a very graphic crime happen here with what is an intense investigation into who is behind everything with all the twists on a crime novel could give us.
Characters/Performance – I feel like I will be getting harsh here but I didn’t find the characters written to be very interesting with the police officer being very forgettable and the use of a hypnotist being almost pointless to what was going on with the crime story. the performance on the other hand are all good and I can’t criticize any of them.
Settings – Sweden is always a beautiful setting because of the open landscapes making wonderful backdrops to everything going on with this film.
Final Thoughts – This is a solid crime thriller that is well worth a watch but when it comes to Swedish thrillers this is not the starting point.
Overall: Solid but not solid gold which is the expectation from Swedish cinema.
Rating
