Movie Review: ‘Trap’

‘Trap’, the new thriller from writer and director M. Night Shyamalan (‘Knock at the Cabin’), opens in theaters on August 2nd.The movie stars Josh Hartnett (‘Oppenheimer’), Ariel Donoghue (‘Wolf Like Me’), Hayley Mills (‘The Parent Trap’), and Alison Pill (‘Star Trek: Picard’), as well as Shyamalan’s daughter, Saleka Shyamalan, making her feature film debut.

​‘Trap’, the new thriller from writer and director M. Night Shyamalan (‘Knock at the Cabin’), opens in theaters on August 2nd.The movie stars Josh Hartnett (‘Oppenheimer’), Ariel Donoghue (‘Wolf Like Me’), Hayley Mills (‘The Parent Trap’), and Alison Pill (‘Star Trek: Picard’), as well as Shyamalan’s daughter, Saleka Shyamalan, making her feature film debut.   

‘Trap’, the new thriller from writer and director M. Night Shyamalan (‘Knock at the Cabin’), opens in theaters on August 2nd.

The movie stars Josh Hartnett (‘Oppenheimer’), Ariel Donoghue (‘Wolf Like Me’), Hayley Mills (‘The Parent Trap’), and Alison Pill (‘Star Trek: Picard’), as well as Shyamalan’s daughter, Saleka Shyamalan, making her feature film debut.

Related Article: Director M. Night Shyamalan Talks ‘Trap’ Trailer and Explains New Movie

Initial Thoughts

Writer and director M. Night Shyamalan stages an intriguing and entertaining thriller that unfortunately unravels as the film moves towards its conclusion. The movie gives away too much too early and has no big surprises or twists to offer in the third act. However, the compelling story and Shyamalan’s unique direction, particularly with the concert sequences, will keep your attention throughout. While Josh Hartnett’s performance is telegraphed and doesn’t completely work, Saleka Shyamalan is excellent in her feature film debut.

Story and Direction

If you watched the trailer for ‘Trap’, which did an excellent job of explaining the story and building suspense, then you probably already know the plot of the film. But in case you haven’t seen it, the film follows Cooper (Josh Hartnett), a dad taking his teenage daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to a concert featuring her favorite popstar Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan). However, Cooper soon realizes that the concert is really a trap for a notorious serial killer called “The Butcher,” and the trailer leads us to believe that Cooper is none other than the Butcher himself.

While I won’t confirm if that is true or not, I can say that the identity of the Butcher is revealed rather early in the film, and that is part of the problem. Because the mystery is solved in the first act, it leads you to believe that there will be another twist coming in the third act and there really isn’t. It also doesn’t help that any movie with Shyamalan’s name attached comes with certain audience expectations, but more on that later.

With that said, the movie’s premise and Shyamalan’s excellent direction continues to keep your attention throughout, even if it rings a bit hollow by the end. Shyamalan’s direction is most impressive in the concert sequences, which are sprawling and very realistic. He also orchestrates scenes in and around the arena well, building suspense at every turn.

The Shyamalan Problem

Here’s the issue, Shyamalan has spent his career making mind-blowing films with surprise endings like ‘The Sixth Sense’ or ‘The Village’ and because of that, audiences have a certain expectation when they go to see a M. Night Shyamalan film. It seems that in recent years the director is trying to subvert those expectations by making movies that seem like they will have a twist, and then the twist is: that there isn’t a twist.

‘Knock at the Cabin’ is a great example of that. The premise was that four strangers claiming to be the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse offer a family a chance to avoid the impending doom. Most of the film is spent asking the central question: Are they telling the truth? While many audience members were expecting some big Shyamalan twist, the real twist was that there was no twist. They were exactly who they said they were.

I only bring this up to illustrate the point that it seems like Shyamalan’s signature twists have been replaced by fake out twists. Meaning that because audience members are expecting a Shyamalan twist, having no twist at all is the new twist, which might be exactly what the director wants. Without spoiling anything, that is also the case with ‘Trap’. I spent most of the movie waiting for the next big surprise, which unfortunately never came. Much like ‘Knock at the Cabin’, ‘Trap’ is exactly what it seems to be on the surface, which in the end left me disappointed.

The Cast

Another big problem I had with the film comes from Josh Hartnett’s performance, which did not work for me. He seems to be trying too hard to make Cooper the “fun dad,” while also playing with the idea of “Is he the Butcher, or not?” Hartnett’s performance betrays the suspense Shyamalan is trying to build, and his relationship with his daughter and wife are never really fleshed out.

On the other hand, Saleka Shyamalan gives an excellent debut performance as Lady Raven. She is completely believable as a Lady Gaga/Taylor Swift type performer, as she is a legitimate pop-star in her own right. But Lady Raven’s role is not limited just to the stage as the character has much more to do in the third act, and Saleka is completely believable in those scenes.

Ariel Donoghue is adequate as Cooper’s daughter Riley, but other than playing a concert viewer, does not have a lot to do. Alison Pill plays Cooper’s wife, and her role is also underdeveloped, which causes a problem heading into the finale. Veteran actress Hayley Mills makes an appearance as an FBI profiler hunting the Butcher, and while her role is small, she brings a lot of gravitas to the character and is a welcomed addition to the cast.

Final Thoughts

In the end, ‘Trap’ is an entertaining thriller that will keep your attention throughout but may leave you disappointed with its conclusion. Josh Hartnett’s performance seems confused and muted at times, but Saleka Shyamalan’s Lady Raven vividly comes alive on screen. M. Night Shyamalan crafts a suspenseful and intriguing premise but can’t quite get it over the finish line.

‘Trap’ receives 6.5 out of 10 stars. 

What is the plot of ‘Trap’?

Cooper, a serial killer dubbed “The Butcher”, joins his daughter at a concert for pop star Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan), an event he realizes is a trap set by police to catch him.

Who is in the cast of ‘Trap’?

Josh Hartnett as CooperAriel Donoghue as RileySaleka Shyamalan as Lady RavenHayley Mills as Dr. GrantAlison Pill as Cooper’s WifeMarnie McPhail as Jody’s MomVanessa Smythe as Tour Manager

Other M. Night Shyamalan Movies:

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