Love him or hate him, M. Night Shyamalan always gives us something to talk about. He’s a filmmaker who often operates in extremes; when he hits, it’s an out of the ballpark home run. But when he misses, he whiffs hard, almost to the point of being irredeemable. And thus is the endless cycle of Shyamalan releases. We go in knowing it is either going blow us away or leave us swearing off his films indefinitely until the next one. “Trap” is a bit of both, the filmmaker indulging his best and worst tendencies in a mixed bag of a somewhat half baked total package. It is both entertaining and frustrating, with the bits and pieces that work clashing against those that don’t the longer the movie goes on. “Trap” inevitably comes down to how much you’re willing to accept movie trope conveniences and overlook a multitude of “because the plot says so” contrivances. “Trap” has its moments, but it certainly pushes the limits of suspension of disbelief even if you’re already on board with its farfetched premise.
Pitched as a “What if ‘Silence of the Lambs‘ happened at a Taylor Swift concert,” “Trap” is a pretty barebones narrative, written and directed by Shayamalan. Cooper (Josh Hartnett) takes his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to her Swift like Popstar Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan, yes Night’s daughter who also wrote and performed all of the original songs that make up said concert) as a reward for her good grades. It becomes clear that something is off, with heightened security and police and SWAT everywhere. Cooper is soon told that the whole concert is a trap (Admiral Akbar would be so proud) and that they knew the Butcher, a serial killer in the area with 12 victims already, was going to be at this concert. Of course Cooper is in fact the Butcher, and now that he knows the truth begins looking for a way to escape. All of this is revealed in the first 20 minutes of the film and comprises most of the trailer, so I don’t think I’m spoiling anything here.
“Trap” is the least twisty film when it comes to the kind of twists we’ve come to expect from Shyamalan. There are plenty of cat and mouse games that occur, and we’re always unsure of what Cooper is going to do next to find a way out. But if you’re going into “Trap” hoping for a “he was dead the whole time” reveal, you’ll be disappointed. On the one hand, the creativity of a sociopath finding new and unique ways to make his getaway are wildly entertaining thanks to an absolute anchor performance from Hartnett. But on the other hand, it’s here where “Trap” can’t get people from point A to point B without taking the laziest, most implausible road. There’s a moment where Cooper realizes he can try to get backstage as it has lower security, and he strikes up a conversation with a handler who just so happens to be standing near him and who ALSO happens to be Lady Raven’s uncle. The ease with which Cooper moves about the concert undetected and gains access and information is almost laughable at times, which in turn removes the trapped, claustrophobic nature of its premise.
It only gets more absurd and far fetched the farther it goes, with “Trap” having some genuinely eye rolling moments that, even for a fictional world set at an elaborate capture scheme seem completely impossible. There are countless moments like this and they ramp up as the concert winds down and leaving becomes the only option. In an effort to not reveal more than what the trailer reveals, I won’t detail any more of them here. “Trap” litters itself with characters who are supposedly important but only exist as exposition dump vehicles for Cooper to stay one step ahead. We learn very little about a lot of things, and while this minimalist approach shouldered on the back of Hartnett should give us all we need, “Trap” becomes a frustrating affair when things we should know more about end up sidelined or forgotten altogether.
“Trap” is centered around a singular premise from a singular POV, namely Hartnett’s Cooper, but even through that lens we should learn a lot more about the people he encounters and the people he is actively avoiding. Hartnett gives an incredible performance, truly channeling the illusion of emotions and empathy with every interaction. “Trap” doesn’t work without someone like Hartnett digging in and having a blast with the role. His switching from absolute psychopath to big dad joke energy is a joy to watch, and the film is all the better for his elevated work. Hartnett really goes for it, nailing the serial killer hiding in plain sight profile with unsettling accuracy. I’m here for this new challenging era, and while “Trap” may not serve him as well as he’s serving the material, it’s the right direction for him returning screen and I genuinely hope to see him like this more often.
Shyamalan may not fully know how to execute all of the story beats in “Trap,” something he often struggles with, but I’ll give credit where credit is due: the man knows his way around the camera. His choices of framing and shot composition add the element of thrill that almost picks up the slack from what’s lacking on the page. Even the concert is framed with a spot on eye, and places you right in the floor seats and busy arena halls. I’m sure being trapped at a Swift concert is a horror movie for some of you, but “Trap” solidly recreates a pop concert well, from the juxtaposition of screaming Raven-ites (I’m just calling them that, it’s never uttered in the film) standing next to their confused parents having to sit through hours of something they don’t understand. When Lady Raven takes the stage, the girls erupt with screams while Cooper covers his ears from the noise, one of the few moments I could wholly relate to in “Trap.”
Truthfully, “Trap” would be upper echelon Shyamalan if his storytelling execution matched his filmmaking prowess. “Trap” is far more silly than thrilling, constantly undercutting each intriguing idea with less than stellar execution. But it also never stops being entertaining, with Hartnett’s magnetism pushing through some of the film’s more perfunctory elements and almost forcing us to find out what happens next. What happens in “Trap” is engaging and interesting, and occasionally thrilling when Hartnett is cooking. It’s how it gets there that fails to maintain the charm for the film’s entirety. It’s funny on purpose but sometimes funny for all the wrong reasons, and that makes it difficult to feel gripped and on the edge of your seat when things get harder to accept.
In the end, “Trap” is mid tier Shyamalan, nothing like his herald works but not as bad as some films we wish we could erase from existence. It’s no “Unbreakable,” but it’s also not “The Last Airbender” either. It’s right smack in the middle, sporting some good ideas and a great lead performance that’s ultimately bogged down by less than average storytelling.
Though I was bought into the initial premise of “Trap,” you can only test my implausibility meter for so long until I can no longer join you.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Stars
“Trap” is now playing in theaters. You can watch the trailer below.
