Taglines: Control is an illusion.
Hypnotic movie storyline. Detective Danny Rourke’s daughter, Minnie, goes missing, causing his marriage to fall apart. While investigating a bank heist, Rourke encounters a mysterious man named Lev Dellrayne who possesses the power to control minds. Rourke finds a clue related to his daughter during the heist, leading him to a fortune-teller named Diana Cruz.
Both Rourke and Cruz are revealed to be powerful hypnotists trained by a secretive government division. Rourke discovers that Dellrayne, someone else in disguise, is searching for a powerful weapon known as “Domino” which was stolen from the division. Rourke and Cruz escape to Mexico, where they learn more about the weapon and the truth about their own abilities.
As Rourke uncovers more about his daughter’s past and the connection to the division, he becomes determined to find her. The plot takes several twists and turns as Rourke and Cruz evade capture, uncover hidden identities, and encounter allies and enemies along the way. They discover the true nature of their daughter. The story builds up to a climactic confrontation between Rourke’s family and the division, where their lives and freedom are at stake.
Hypnotic is a 2023 American mystery action thriller film directed by Robert Rodriguez, who co-wrote the screenplay with Max Borenstein. The film stars Ben Affleck, Alice Braga, J. D. Pardo, Hala Finley, Dayo Okeniyi, Jeff Fahey, Jackie Earle Haley and William Fichtner. Rodriguez also produced, co-shot, and edited the film, while his sons Rebel and Racer Max served as composer and producer, respectively.
Hypnotic was released in the United States on May 12, 2023, by Ketchup Entertainment and Relativity Media. The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $8 million against its $65 million budget. Released alongside Book Club: The Next Chapter, the film made $940,000 from 2,118 theaters in its first day. It went on to debut to $2.4 million, finishing in sixth. It was the worst opening weekend of both Rodriguez and Affleck’s careers, and was blamed in-part on the very little marketing done by the studio.
About the Story
Danny Rourke, an Austin Police Department detective, recalls to his therapist the abduction of his seven-year-old daughter, Minnie, which led to the dissolution of his marriage. Afterwards, he is picked up by his partner, Nicks, who informs him they have received an anonymous tip-off call that a safe deposit box at a bank will be robbed.
At the stakeout, they witness a mysterious man give unheard instructions to civilians, bank employees, and fellow policemen, who seemingly follow his commands as he enters the bank. Rourke races to the targeted safe deposit box, finding inside it a picture of Minnie with the message “Find Lev Dellrayne” written on it. Rourke pursues the man to a rooftop, where he witnesses him command two police officers to shoot each other as he escapes.
Convinced the heist has something to do with the disappearance of his daughter, Rourke investigates. Trace run by Nicks on the tip-off call leads Rourke to the address of fortune-teller Diana Cruz. After he describes to her the man from the bank heist, a client of Cruz’s, under the control of that man, drives a motorcycle through Cruz’s window before killing himself.
Rourke takes Cruz into protective custody. She explains that the mysterious man from the bank is named “Lev Dellrayne” and that he and Cruz are both the escaped “Hypnotics”: powerful hypnotists trained by a secretive government “Division” to control people’s minds. Rourke is mysteriously immune to such mind control when Cruz tries to exercise it on him. Meanwhile, Dellrayne outside the police station commands Nicks to attack Rourke and Cruz, and Cruz then shoots him dead in self-defense.
Rourke and Cruz flee to Mexico. There, they learn from a former Division contact Jeremiah that Dellrayne is seeking “Domino”, a powerful weapon developed by the Division, stolen, and hidden by Dellrayne when he escaped. Dellrayne then wiped his own memory and left behind “triggers” prompting him to gradually recall Domino’s location and regain his own hypnotic power. Dellrayne eventually reveals himself to be Jeremiah in disguise and pursues Rourke and Cruz through a hypnotically constructed environment before Rourke taps into his own previously unknown hypnotic power, allowing them to escape.
Hypnotic (2023)
Directed by: Robert Rodriguez
Starring: Ben Affleck, Alice Braga, J. D. Pardo, Hala Finley, Dayo Okeniyi, Jeff Fahey, Jackie Earle Haley, William Fichtner, Ionie Olivia Nieves, Corina Calderon, Natalie D. Garcia
Screenplay by: Robert Rodriguez, Max Borenstein
Production Design by: Caylah Eddleblute, Steve Joyner
Cinematography by: Pablo Berron, Robert Rodriguez
Film Editing by: Robert Rodriguez
Costume Design by: Nina Proctor
Set Decoration by: David Hack, Kelly D. Miller, Cynthia Anne Slagter
Art Direction by: Paul Alix
Music by: Rebel Rodriguez
MPAA Rating: R for violence.
Distributed by: Ketchup Entertainment, Relativity Media
Release Date: March 12, 2023 (SXSW), May 12, 2023 (United States)
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