Close Your Eyes Movie Review:


After moving his family to London, Dr Michael Strother (Visnjic) was making a meagre living by stopping people smoking through hypnotism. After helping Detective Janet Losey (Henderson), she recruits him to help get through to the only surviving victim of a serial killer, a little girl called Heather (Stuckey) who has refused to talk after she escaped from her prison. After putting her in a hypnotic trance and getting her to relive her ordeal, Michael unexpectantly forms a telepathic bound with the child, which draws him into the mind of the killer.

Psychological horror can be very hit and miss but while Hypnotic starts well, the movie ends up missing the mark completely.

Based on the novel by Madison Smartt Bell, the movie mixes detective drama with the supernatural but an unpolished script and some lacklustre performances make this pale in comparison to something like The X-Files. The film does feel more like a television pilot or drama serial than a motion picture but the fact that this is low budget and a BBC film is no excuse for the complete lack of tension and character development.

Anyone who has seen TV’s hospital drama ER will know that Goran Visnjic is a good actor but he seems to plod through this movie on autopilot, never raising his game for the big screen. He starts off well but as the film progresses his performance gets more and more lethargic, like he has been put under by one of his character’s hypnotic techniques.
Much the same can be said about Shirley Henderson. She has made a name for herself as an accomplished character actor over the years with standout performances in 24 Hour Party People, Once Upon a Time in the Midlands and Intermission but like her co-star she seems to be in a hypnotic trance. She just seems worn out on screen, whether this was intentional for the character or not, it does not make her performance anymore riveting.

The supporting cast don’t fair much better. Miranda Otto is severely underused, as is Fiona Shaw and Corin Redgrave. The excellent Paddy Considine’s character is so underwritten you have to wonder why the actor took the part. The only one who stands out is young Sophie Stuckey as Heather. She captures the look of fear superbly, better than a lot of other, more experienced actors.

What lets the movie down is the plot. For a low budget production, the film has a lot of style but without any real substance the whole thing starts to fall flat. The story is filled with inconsistencies, underdeveloped characters and subplots. The finale is severely rushed with no real explanation after the big reveal and a final twist that you can see coming from a mile away. Worst of all, questions are not answered. Why is Det. Henderson so willing to believe in telepathic abilities? What is Michael’s connection to the killer? Why does the killer need children? Why does blood need to be tested? The list goes on and none of these questions are completely answered.

Hypnotic, despite an interesting premise and a good cast, feels like a missed opportunity. So if you are thinking of watching the film, breathe slowly, read my words and visualise a happy place where you only watch good movies with three or more star ratings. Now, you are awake and have totally forgotten about watching this very average film.

Star Rating = * *

Jamie Kelwick

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