Rating: 3/5
Synopsis:
After promoting his daughter’s directorial debut, M. Night Shyamalan returns to the director’s chair. This time, he abandons the twist centric horror plot for a more straightforward story. Our main character is Cooper, a firefighter who takes his daughter to see her favorite pop star. Once they arrive at the concert, Cooper notices an unusual amount of security around the arena. He figures out that they are trying to capture a serial killer who is attending the concert. Unfortunately for him…he IS the killer. Cooper must cause chaos, create confusion, and cover his tracks so that he can escape the concert. Will he make it out?
Positives:
In a world where it is increasingly difficult to find original stories, we can always count on M. Night Shyamalan to provide them. For better or worse, he swings for the fences with bold creative storytelling. Unfortunately most of his work is hampered by poor writing and perplexing execution. I’ve enjoyed most of his recent work but acknowledge the flaws. I’d say “Trap” falls in line with his recent work too, where the premise is intriguing but the execution is wonky. That being said, I enjoyed the film as a whole. I hear some complaining that the “twist” is spoiled in the trailers, but I liked knowing Josh Hartnett was the killer. It provides a new perspective from the killer’s POV where he is trying to go against an entire police force while putting on the dorky dad facade. This concept is fresh and inventive, so kudos to Shyamalan for turning the tables. This high stakes concept wouldn’t be possible without a terrific performance from Josh Hartnett. Ever since he popped up in “Oppenheimer”, he has been on track for a career resurgence. His character is a multifaceted person with many different sides to him, so the performance requires a lot. Hartnett is more than up to the task, flexing his acting chops between the psychotic serial killer and the harmless suburban dad. He is the best part of the film for sure.
The film has some nice tongue and cheek humor to it. The audience knows how absurd this concept can be as there would be a number of different ways where the story could get out of hand. By adding a slightly silly tone mixed with a tension filled plot, this flows nicely and keeps the film from falling apart. I was constantly wondering what Cooper’s next move would be to gain information or figure out possible exit strategies. This in addition to enjoying a concert with his daughter raised the stakes for his character. Audiences can feel the pressure he is under which makes everything more tense. The third act in particular takes some unexpected turns as Cooper’s motivations change. Sure, there are some issues with the plot…but it’s hard to argue that I had a good time.
Negatives:
For all the good Shyamalan crafts, some of his usual shortcomings are on display again. There are two major issues with the film that nearly forced me to go negative with this review. Luckily there is enough to warrant a mild recommendation. The first aspect that is noticeably lacking is the script. Again, Shyamalan tries writing the dialogue himself. The execution is some of the wonkiest dialogue in a movie audiences will hear all year. Some of the character interactions feel unrealistic to a point where it may seem like a film student’s first draft of a script. The execution is so strange. I know Shyamalan has a trend where there is a silly nature to character interactions…but this is clearly an issue that shows up regularly in his films.
But the biggest issue with the film will depend entirely on an audience’s ability to suspend disbelief. I had a feeling this would be an issue when I first saw the trailer but never could have imagined the level of absurdity that would be on display. It almost becomes comical at a certain point. Granted, this didn’t ruin my experience with the film but it cheapened it for sure. There are so many conveniences, gaps in logic, and downright silly mistakes made by those who shouldn’t be making them. I won’t explain what those are to avoid spoilers, just know logic isn’t the strongest aspect of the story. The film also feels like a music video to showcase his daughter’s music career at times. This felt less interesting than observing Cooper’s escape plans. Can’t be too mad at him for trying to help his daughter’s career though.
Conclusion:
“Trap” is undoubtedly a mixed bag. On a personal level, there was more to enjoy than criticize. A sharper script and less conveniences would have put this over the top. But a fresh premise and memorable performance from Josh Hartnett push this one over the finish line. The unpredictability of the story will keep audiences guessing as to what Cooper does next. This must have been a difficult idea to execute but Shyalaman does a fair enough job of making it successful. Check this one out on a rainy day if time allows for it but don’t go out of the way to see it in theaters.
