“Trap”
PG-13/Thriller/105 Mins
Director/Writer: M. Night Shyamalan
Starring: Josh Hartnett (“Oppenheimer”), Ariel Donoghue (“Wolf Like Me”), Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills (“Tiger Bay”), Jonathan Langdon (“Run the Burbs”) and Alison Pill (“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”)
Review: Love or hate his films, M. Night Shyamalan is a one of a kind filmmaker. From his off-kilter dialogue, narrative shaking twists and always bringing out unique performances out of every actor he works with, his filmography are some of the most divisive works of fiction ever created. Personally, my opinions on his work range from masterpieces to mediocre to downright bad (“The Last Airbender”, I can’t defend you.) Yet, every time a new Shyamalan film comes out, I’m seated in a theater awaiting a one of a kind experience. He does so yet again with the suspenseful, highly entertaining and also maybe his most funniest film yet, “Trap.”
“Trap” follows a devoted father, Cooper Adams, taking his teenage daughter, Riley, to see pop superstar, Lady Raven. Upon arriving at the sold out stadium, Cooper notices there’s an increase in law enforcement filled with security checkpoints. In this day and age, this would usually put the average concert goer at ease, but for Cooper, this makes him tense. The reason why is because he currently has a man kidnapped and chained in a basement and Cooper also happens to be local serial killer, The Butcher. Gathering information from a concert merchandise worker named Jaime (one of the characters that brings the most laughs and is a personal highlight), he learns that the entire concert is a trap to capture the faceless and elusive murderer. This sets off an intense cat and mouse chase where the viewer is following the murderous “mouse”, for the entire runtime.
The reason this whole film works (for the most part) is due to the transformative and captivating performance from Josh Hartnett as Cooper/The Butcher. This character can be believable as the loving father who is trying to fit in with his daughter by using cringe-inducing modern slang all while coming off as a good natured and kind man. However, the performance is in his eyes and they can quickly go dark when he channels The Butcher making him a scary and unnerving maniac. The film is at its best when you are one step ahead of the cops alongside Cooper and seeing all his different tactics and maneuvers to not get caught in a stadium filled with 3,000 people. Sure, the film has some plot conveniences with how he gets out of a few nail-biting-inducing situations, but you can’t help but applaud that his luck had yet to run out.
Another intriguing aspect of the film is the screenplay also written by Shyamalan. The dialogue he writes for most of his films (especially in the last 15 or so years) have this unique cadence, where at times, the line blurs between what is being said is meant to be comedic or serious in tone/delivery. This is an aspect that can confuse/alienate moviegoers. However, it’s what made this film so much fun to watch, it felt reminiscent of the feeling of when I watched recent films like James Wan’s “Malignant” and Eli Roth’s “Thanksgiving.” It feels like a high budget B-movie and I mean that in the highest regard.
This film is also really well paced in the first half, it does a good job introducing the leads and the unique supporting roles while also jumping head first into the suspense of the story. However, when the film shifts to after the concert (mild spoiler warning), it takes a slower pace with its suspense and while it’s consistently compelling, it becomes less energetic when the “cat” knows who the “mouse” is in their chase.
The only gripe I would have with the film is also linked with a positive about this film. The entire trap is set around a Lady Raven concert, who is the fictional superstar. In reality, Lady Raven is portrayed by M. Night’s daughter, Saleka Shyamalan, who is also a real musical artist and contributed 14 original songs to the film. The songs played in the film are very catchy and had me tapping my foot in the theater. I could already tell I would be playing the soundtrack on the way home. The negative aspect would have to be Saleka’s acting performance. During the third act is when Lady Raven is given more to do, she is more involved in the action, rather than singing on stage. I thought her acting came off a bit wooden and not entirely convincing. While it took me out of the film a little bit, it’s only a small gripe I have with an otherwise really good film.
Overall, I think this is one of M. Night’s stronger films in the last couple of years on par with “Split” and “Knock at the Cabin.” Don’t expect a classic Shyamalan twist in this one though, however, it is the filmmaker at his most entertaining.
Score: 8/10
“Trap” is out now in theaters everywhere.
