In this section of our Colossus Movie Guide for Hypnotic, we provide recommendations for movies with similar themes and vibes.
Cast
- Danny Rourke – Ben Affleck
- Diana Cruz / Vivian – Alice Braga
- Minnie – Hala Finley
- Dellrayne – William Fichtner
- Nicks – J.D. Pardo
- River – Dayo Okeniyi
- Carl – Jeff Fahey
- Jeremiah – Jackie Earle Haley
- Written by – Robert Rodriguez | Max Borenstein
- Directed by – Robert Rodriguez
Movies like Hypnotic
Paycheck
Paycheck is a 2003 movie directed by John Woo and starring Ben Affleck and Uma Thurman. Affleck’s character, Michael Jennings, has to, like Danny Rourke, reconstruct his memory through clues he left himself. It’s an action-thriller that has different stakes than Hypnotic but is a fun contrast between Affleck closer to the beginning of his career versus where he’s at 20 years later.
The Bourne Identity
Bourne Identity is a 2002 film directed by Doug Liman and starring Affleck’s dear friend Matt Damon. Another film where the protagonist has memory issues. Jason Bourne has become a pretty iconic character and is one of Damon’s defining roles. It leans more thriller than sci-fi like Paycheck and Hypnotic. But it’s nice to see a (relatively) more grounded take on the whole “who am I really?” subgenre.
Moon
Moon is from 2009, directed by Duncan Jones, starring Sam Rockwell. Less action than the previous recommendations. More existential and psychological, but also involves questioning the nature of your reality and identity. Rockwell’s character is working alone on a lunar base. The isolation and unique circumstances have a profound effect on his mental health. Given the setting, Moon is definitely a different vibe than other movies on this list.
Minority Report
Another 2002 movie. This one directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise and an early-in-his-career Colin Farrell. This leans way more into the themes of government surveillance and oversight and the individual fighting back against such powers. Cruise’s character, like Rourke in Hypnotic, is working through the disappearance of a child. One of the defining sci-fi movies of the early 00’s, Minority Report is a great blend of sci-fi, thriller, and action.
Taken
A 2008 film by Pieere Morel. Taken stars Liam Neeson trying to find his kidnapped daughter, Maggie Grace. Neeson’s character is a retired CIA agent. So there are similar aspects to parents and children and a government agent using their training to save their family. This one skews heavily into the action-thriller side of things and has no sci-fi elements. For a time, Taken was a zeitgeist-defining film.
A Scanner Darkly
A 2006 film by Rodriguez’s fellow Austinite, Richard Linklater, A Scanner Darkly stars Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, and Robert Downey Jr. A bit different in tone and style than Hypnotic, but Keanu is a cop dealing with identity issues, memory, reality, etc. This is probably the least like Hypnotic in terms of the details, but for those who care about the locality of filmmakers, the Austin connection is nice.
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