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The Guardian Angel

"Who controls your mind?"

Copenhagen, Denmark, 1951. Criminal investigator Anders Olsen follows the case of a bank robber who eyewitnesses say appears to have been acting under some kind of trance.

Top Cast

  • Pilou Asbæk

    Pilou Asbæk

    Anders Olsen

  • Josh Lucas

    Josh Lucas

    Bjørn Schouw Nielsen

  • Rade Šerbedžija

    Rade Šerbedžija

    Dr. Max Dabrowski

  • Sara Soulié

    Sara Soulié

    Marie Olsen

  • Cyron Melville

    Cyron Melville

    Palle Hardrup

  • Christopher Fulford

    Christopher Fulford

    Thuesen

  • Johannes Lassen

    Johannes Lassen

    Petersen

  • Pamela Tola

    Pamela Tola

    Susi

  • Irena Tereza Prpić

    Irena Tereza Prpić

    Bente

Overview

Copenhagen, Denmark, 1951. Criminal investigator Anders Olsen follows the case of a bank robber who eyewitnesses say appears to have been acting under some kind of trance.

Rating

5.1 / 10
52 Reviews
1 Popular

1 Reviews

  • Louisa Moore - Screen Zealots
    Louisa Moore - Screen Zealots
    4 Mar 9, 2021

    The psychological thriller “Murderous Trance” is based on the true story of the famed hypnosis murders that occurred in Denmark in the 1950s, where the court system found a man guilty for influencing a man to commit a crime. It’s a fascinating premise for a feature film, but director Arto Halonen‘s finished product is a dull drama that lacks that special spark to make it stand out from the crowd. Detective Anders Olsen (Pilou Asbæk) investigates a case in Copenhagen where a bank robber shoots two clerks and runs away with the money, but the cash has never been found. When questioned by the police, several eyewitnesses claim the robber was in a trance, making for the most peculiar investigation. It’s learned that the man spent time in prison with the charismatic Björn Schow Nielsen Josh Lucas), a sinister figure who is interested in mystical arts like mind control and the power of suggestion. Olsen beings to suspect that Björn may have hypnotized his fellow inmate to commit the crime for him, but his theory seems so absurd that it’s met with resistance. He enlists the help of a famous hypnotist (Rade Serbedzija) in a bid to uncover the real truth. The story is a great one, and the film raises interesting questions about the possibility that people can be hypnotized so deeply that they will act against their own moral code. Any narrative that deals with elements of mysticism is in danger of taking it too far, and the film gets a little hokey as it begins to rely too heavily on scenes of deep sleep and psychoanalysis. Its uniformity is tiresome, but the crime drama elements are intriguing. “Murderous Trance” isn’t a total misstep, but it isn’t the type of film I’d recommend you seek out unless you are fascinated with true crime or the science of mind control. Even then, you’d be better off picking up a book to learn more about the true story behind this movie.

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