The Great Hypnotist Cast a Spell

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Original Story by Color Magazine

It’s always fascinating to see an actor successfully do the unexpected.

Chinese Superstar Zheng Xu has made a career – and developed an enormous fan base – with his comedic performances in global hits like Lost in Thailand and Lost in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong singer/actress Karen Mok is best known for the comic chops she showed in Shaolin Soccer and to American audiences for her role as General Fang opposite Steve Coogan and Jackie Chan in the 2004 Disney film, Around the World in 80 Days.

Put them together in a movie and you expect comedy gold, unless that movie is the taught psychological thriller The Great Hypnotist. Directed by Leste Chen (Doomsday Reverse, The Heirloom), the film tells the story of a famous hypnotherapist named Xu Ruining (Zhwng Xu) who finds his medical knowledge put to the test when he’s asked by a mentor to treat a troublesome patient, Ren Xiaoyan (Karen Mok) who claims she is being haunted by ghosts.

It would be unfair to give too much of what happens next away; the thrill of watching The Great Hypnotists comes from taking the ride for yourself, ad then, maybe, finding other people who have experienced the movie and talking all about it. Suffice it to day that Leste Chen uses his unique visual style to bring the audience into the mind of a hypnotized person I a unique and compelling way. The director also likes to play with his audience, teasing him throughout the movie to question the reality of what they are seeing up on the screen.

As stylish as the film is, though, the story wouldn’t work if Zheng Xu and Karen Mok didn’t give such effective and nuanced performances. Zheng Zu is the epitome of the cool health professional, a man so on top of his game that he looks down at everyone else in his field. Watching his opinion of himself – and of his profession – evolve throughout the film is fascinating. Karen Mok’s performance is every bit as interesting to watch, mainly because it doesn’t necessarily unfold like her costar, but attacks and challenges the audience every step of the way.

The convergence of the talent these three artists bring the project make The Great Hypnotists one of the most entertaining films of recent memory.

The Great Hypnotists is now available from Well Go USA.