The new Netflix thriller Hypnotic, starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, eschews the typical sun-soaked Miami tropes for a darker, more suspenseful take on the crime procedural. Director Joe Carnahan delivers a gritty, atmospheric film that prioritizes tension and character ambiguity over stylistic flair, setting the stage for a compelling story of corruption and distrust within the city’s anti-drug unit. The film, now streaming, unfolds entirely at night and quickly plunges viewers into a world where loyalties are uncertain and danger lurks around every corner.
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Miami isn’t serving up its usual cocktails, nightclubs, and beach shirts this time around. The dark, action-packed crime thriller Hypnotic, starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck and now streaming on Netflix, offers no retro-mustachioed cops, pop songs, or the music video aesthetic of the 1980s Miami Vice television series or Michael Mann’s subsequent big-screen adaptation. Director Joe Carnahan doesn’t even glance at the beach.
The entire film unfolds at night. The opening scene sees the head of the local anti-drug unit, Jackie, killed by two masked men. In a city riddled with corruption, it’s unclear who would want her dead. Cartels? Or perhaps even the police themselves?
Everyone seemed to like Jackie, as revealed in the subsequent interviews investigating her tragic death. Her successor, Dane Dumars, played by Matt Damon, is visibly frustrated by the dead-end procedures. And Ben Affleck, as his partner J.D. Byrne, takes his dissatisfaction a step further, physically assaulting an investigator – specifically, his own brother, who works for the FBI.
Carnahan ratchets up the tension from the very beginning. Everyone is on edge, and everyone appears somewhat suspicious and worn down. This is especially true of the two Hollywood friends, Affleck and Damon, who sport scruffy appearances – their haircuts and beards suggest gang members or local transients rather than detectives.
This isn’t a psychological drama; the film only sketches the characters, prioritizing the gradual build-up of suspense. When the unit investigates a suspected hideout for cartel money, a sense of foreboding immediately takes hold. The amount isn’t in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, but closer to $20 million. And anyone could be suspected of setting up their colleagues.
Hypnotic trailer.Video: Netflix
Hypnotic doesn’t attempt to reinvent the police procedural, but aims for a more old-fashioned, honest crime story built on atmosphere. It also benefits from the dynamic between its two leads, whose on-screen friendship feels authentic, mirroring their real-life bond.
Dane is haunted by the loss of his ten-year-old son and carries his own demons, raising the question of whether he, too, might succumb to the lure of a massive sum of money. Similar questions apply to almost every character. The only one who appears to be an innocent victim, forced into cooperation by the cartel, is a bound woman found in the raided house.
For the first half of the film, Carnahan confines the characters to the claustrophobic spaces of the house. It’s clear they are, or will be, targets, but the question remains: whose target? And who is the informant?
The film doesn’t offer much in the way of levity or perspective. A feeling of paranoia prevails, with a police force decimated by a situation that feels almost like a guerilla war, and by long-term institutional issues – a lack of funding and a clear temptation for some to profit from dirty money. But these elements are only hinted at. Hypnotic focuses on the unfolding situation and its consequences.
When the inevitable gunfight erupts, it feels almost cathartic – a release from the claustrophobic atmosphere of a house full of money.
Carnahan subordinates almost everything to keeping the audience, along with the characters, in the present moment. And it begs the question: how much are we willing to overlook to remain in that moment? It’s not hard to see how deliberately the characters are cast in shadow, and how transparent their actions sometimes appear. When someone is playing someone else, the audience is often one step ahead, knowing it’s a trap.
Photo: Netflix
Hypnotic is an intense, gripping thriller that skillfully uses its setting. It allows us to feel the characters’ movements while simultaneously suggesting that the ever-present darkness masks occasional inappropriate behavior during shootouts. These moments aim to be realistic and gritty, but can sometimes feel detached. And a similar issue plagues the entire film.
Unlike many routine crime films from Netflix, Hypnotic is appealing in its attempt at a somewhat old-fashioned, honest crime story based on atmosphere. It also benefits from its stars, who don’t just serve as “poster” faces, as is often the case with many films from streaming platforms.
Carnahan isn’t a director with the strong, elaborate vision of Carpenter, but Hypnotic ultimately doesn’t feel like just another box checked off on a streaming platform’s to-do list. Despite some, particularly script-related, missteps, it’s fascinating to watch Ben Affleck and Matt Damon bicker and see if they can find their way back to each other.
Hypnotic doesn’t say anything new about the proliferation of corruption, but it does manage to present a battered world where it’s sometimes difficult to distinguish between good and evil.
Film: Hypnotic
Action / Crime, USA, 2024, 133 min
Written and directed by: Joe Carnahan
Starring: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Scott Adkins, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Kyle Chandler, Steven Yeun, Nestor Carbonell, Sasha Calle, Teyana Taylor, Lina Esco and others
