Support Us
Sign Up
You never know what you’ll get with an M. Night Shyamalan movie. For every good one, like Signs, he follows that up with at least three stinkers. But even if you think an M. Night Shyamalan movie will be bad, you’ll come out of it either entertained or acknowledging it as a once-in-a-lifetime cinematic experience (see: Old). While Knock at the Cabin was a divisive entry, it certainly wasn’t a stinker. And now with Trap, it feels like perhaps the master of twists finally has his groove back. Not a masterpiece by any means, but in a summer of serial killer features like MaXXXine and Longlegs, Trap may end up standing out more than the rest. For one, Shyamalan and Warner Bros. Pictures decided to reveal the film’s twist right in the trailer.
Stop reading now if you haven’t seen the trailer and want to be surprised!
A pretty ballsy move because frustratingly on first impression, the trailer says it all. However, if you know Shyamalan, you know that there’s more to expect.
The film follows Cooper (Josh Hartnett) and his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) as they attend the concert of Riley’s favorite artist, Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan). At first, Cooper seems unassuming; just a regular dad making his cheesy jokes and driving a minivan. But as they enter the venue, his demeanor begins to change. He notices security putting up extra cameras and lines of policemen guarding entrances. When he asks a worker what’s going on, Cooper learns that the concert is actually a trap to capture a serial killer known as The Butcher. The close-up and smile that Hartnett delivers upon learning this has already meme’d up a storm, but it’s our first sign that something might be wrong with this guy. Immediately, Shyamalan confirms our suspicion as Cooper runs to the bathroom to look at live camera footage of a man he has bound in his basement. Another victim for him to butcher. With all exits closed, Cooper must try to figure out how to escape undetected from the swarms of police, while also not raising his daughter’s suspicions. He has many tricks up his sleeve, and so does Shyamalan.
Trap review directed by M. Night Shyamalan
With a trailer that revealed the film’s main twists, you couldn’t help but wonder if the director was just playing with his audience. Is Cooper really The Butcher? I’m here to tell you that, yes, he is, so don’t go into it expecting some kind of “gotcha” moment. However, while it may seem like a strange tactic in promoting a film, it actually makes sense. After watching it, you realize that this wasn’t a secret they could avoid telling without ruining the events that follow it. The trailers and synopsis provide us with as little information as possible in the end. The film keeps its audience – and even Cooper – on their toes as a mystery remains as to whether The Butcher will finally be caught as planned. However, the concert atmosphere is so energetic that once the film steps away from that environment, the energy dissipates and the film starts to feel overlong. Despite this, there are so many unexpected moments to follow that it thankfully is never dull.
Much of the film’s success lies with Hartnett and his character. While the film succeeds at creating a great atmosphere, especially with its music (Saleka Shyamalan delivers some real bops), it will come as no surprise that the writing falters. Whether it’s adding an unnecessary subplot or bad dialogue, there’s a lot here that just doesn’t work. The dialogue, in particular, contributes to some pretty hit-or-miss performances, but for Hartnett, it actually works in his favor. There are times when he hams up the dialogue and other times where he delivers it so awkwardly straight that you wonder what he’s trying to do. But there are also moments where his performance takes a total 180, manifesting in deft changes of demeanor and facial expressions, and you realize that Hartnett is playing a character who is also playing a character. Cooper’s two worlds are suddenly colliding and he’s battling between personalities.
You can’t make a serial killer movie without a good serial killer, and while there isn’t much to the film’s characters, Cooper at least gets some backstory to explain why he’s like this. What is going to make Trap a memorable entry in Shyamalan’s filmography, and maybe even one of his best, is not only its unique concert setting but how Cooper navigates this space right under the law’s nose. We’ve had a lot of concert movies, but this may be the first movie set at a concert and it’s interesting to see how claustrophobic this big venue becomes. There seems to be no way out and you wonder if at any point Cooper is going to slip. Close-ups of his face in the crowd show a man in panic, with twitchy eyes and paranoid looks over his shoulder. He’s trying to stay calm, not only to remain undetected but also to not ruin his daughter’s concert experience. This complexity of a psychotic killer and loving father is fascinating. While a 105-minute film isn’t the best way to fully capture this, it’s one of the elements that Shyamalan incorporates that makes this a concert experience to remember in more ways than one.
Grade: B
Trap
A father and teen daughter attend a pop concert, where they realize they're at the center of a dark and sinister event.
Release Date: August 2, 2024
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Cast: Josh Hartnett , Ariel Donoghue , Saleka Shyalaman
