The Problem with 'Trap'
I saw 'Trap' in cinemas this weekend but sadly, it wasn't what I had hoped for.
*This review contains spoilers*
Trap released in theatres on Friday (Aug 9), and like many I was excited to see the latest M. Night movie. Best known for his unique style and mysterious twists, Shyamalan has directed highly acclaimed films such as The Sixth Sense (1999), Signs (2002), and Split (2016). However, M. Night’s more recent movies, Old (2021) and Knock At The Cabin (2023) have been less successful. After seeing the trailer for Trap, I was fascinated by the plot and how the story might unfold. So decided to give it a go.
Trap follows dad/serial killer, Cooper (Josh Harnett) as he takes his daughter, Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to see her favourite artist Lady Raven, (Saleka Shyamalan) in concert. Soon after arriving, Cooper becomes cautious of the amount of security in the arena.
As a music and concert fan, I liked the concept of this film. I felt that it captured modern-day concerts well, taking clear inspiration from artists like Taylor Swift. Trap was an inventive idea with so much potential but there was one too many unconvincing moments that made it hard to engross myself in the story. This could have been intentional, or even ‘the point’ of the story, but it made the movie predictable and somewhat boring.
There were several long intervals during the show. In the first, Riley and Cooper visited the merch stand and Cooper takes this opportunity to ask about the increased security.
The problem that I have with Trap began here. Jamie (the employee) tells Cooper exactly why the concert is full of security without hesitation, even though he “is not supposed to tell him”. It is here that Cooper discovers the whole concert is a trap, designed to find the well-known serial killer, The Butcher (aka, Cooper). Of course, the story requires Cooper to realise this eventually, but the willingness of staff and security to tell someone who fits the exact profile of the serial killer every detail of the plan was irritating to watch. Security were so vigilant when searching for suspects, so why were they telling Cooper (a potential suspect) how to leave without being searched?
Cooper crept around in the hallway for the majority of the concert and looked incredibly suspicious while doing so. How did security suspect every other white male that fit their profile except the one that is sneaking around the arena? Riley’s friend’s mother even made a scene which momentarily turned attention to Cooper, but this is suddenly forgotten.
Throughout the movie, little to no suspense was created. The only music I remember from the film was Saleka’s, there was nothing that really helped to build tension. At this point, I started to wonder whether the sole purpose of this movie was to promote M. Night’s daughter’s music.
Trap lost me even more in the second half. Following the mandatory cameo of M.Night, where Cooper lies to Lady Raven’s team, Riley is chosen to be the shows ‘Dreamer Girl’ and brought onto stage. Conveniently, this gives Riley and Cooper access backstage, where Cooper realises that the only way to exit without being searched is to leave with Lady Raven and her team.
At Cooper’s family home, Lady Raven starts an instagram live to ask followers for help. Soon after, the FBI show up at the house, revealing Cooper’s double life to his family. Cooper accepts his fate. His family escapes, and LR returns to her limo. Then, somehow, in a matter of minutes, Cooper is wearing a SWAT uniform and has snook into LR’s limo (?). He handcuffs her to the rails and takes the wheel. They hadn’t been travelling for long before Lady Raven is able to shout for help from the window and fans swarm the car. FBI find them. This time there is no way for Cooper to make an escape, because their car is surrounded by fans, right? Unfortunately not. Cooper, having undergone another outfit change, has by some miracle escaped his arrest, leaving the scene wearing casual clothes and a Joe Goldberg-style baseball cap.
This is just the tip of the iceberg for Trap, and I would urge you to see the film to make your own judgements. Trap had a promising plot, performances from Harnett and Donoghue were good, but unfortunately the story fell flat in many ways. It was easy to follow but hard to believe. Of course I don’t have to believe a story is real to enjoy it, but especially in this diegesis, repeated improbable scenes meant that the movie was bordering on comedic.
Maybe that is was what M.Night was going for, but for a movie marketed as a thriller, I expected the usual tension and fear that M.Night is known for to accompany it and unfortunately that just didn’t happen for me. Looking past the far-fetched scenes and plot holes, I enjoyed the concept of the movie, and it captured every aspect of a regular concert (even if they did make it look like its easy to communicate over loud music).
My Rating: ★★/5
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