Hypnotic (2023)
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A detective's reality is shattered when he discovers his life is a constructed narrative designed to hide a powerful weapon.
The story
In a therapy session, Austin Police Detective Danny Rourke recounts the abduction of his seven-year-old daughter, Minnie, three years earlier. While investigating a tip regarding a safe deposit box, Rourke and his partner encounter a mysterious man and a woman named Diana Cruz. They discover the pair are 'Hypnotics' who escaped from a secretive government organization known as the 'Division'. Rourke, who appears immune to their mind-control, must team up with Cruz to evade the influence of the Division and find the truth behind his daughter's disappearance and the mysterious 'Domino' weapon.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
During a therapy session, Detective Danny Rourke recounts the abduction of his daughter, Minnie. While investigating a safe deposit box, he and his partner encounter a man and a woman, Diana Cruz, who reveal they are 'Hypnotics' from a secret government 'Division'. Rourke, immune to their control, flees to Mexico with Cruz. They encounter a man named Jeremiah (later revealed as the antagonist Lev Dellrayne) who explains that Dellrayne stole a weapon called 'Domino'. Rourke eventually discovers his own hypnotic powers and realizes his life as a detective is a 'construct' created by the Division. He learns that 'Domino' is actually his daughter, and his memories were wiped to protect her. After several 'resets' of his memory, Rourke breaks the cycle and finds Minnie at a ranch. It is revealed that his ex-wife, Vivian, was also a Division agent who helped hide Minnie. In a final twist, the villain Dellrayne uses his powers to switch places with a man named Carl, remaining in the shadows to continue his hunt.
- First release year
- 2023
- Runtime (minutes)
- 94
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Robert Rodriguez
- Writers
- Robert Rodriguez · screenplay; Max Borenstein · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Ben Affleck; Alice Braga; J. D. Pardo; Hala Finley; Dayo Okeniyi; Jeff Fahey; Jackie Earle Haley; William Fichtner
- Genres
- mystery; action; thriller; science fiction
- Themes
- mind control; memory manipulation; parental protection
- Tone and mood
- suspenseful; conspiracy-minded
- Premise and plot tags
- mystery; action; thriller; science fiction
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics and was noted for its fast-paced style but criticized for its execution and dialogue.
- Reported review scores
- CinemaScore · score: C+ · scale: A+ to F; PostTrak · score: 69% · scale: percent
- Production trivia
- Robert Rodriguez wrote the initial screenplay in 2002.; The film was produced with input from his family members.; The film was originally set to be released by Solstice Studios.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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