I can understand why M. Night Shyamalan fans might have been eager to see his latest film, Trap, hoping he’d recapture the magic of his earlier successes like The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs, and Split. However, it's clear that when a studio avoids screening a movie for critics, as with Snakes on a Plane, it’s often a bad omen. My brief hope that Trap might defy the odds and deliver something worthwhile quickly vanished, as the film plummets from disappointment into outright disaster.
From the outset, Shyamalan's famed twist ending is squandered as we quickly learn that Cooper (Josh Hartnett), who’s taking his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to a pop concert, is actually The Butcher, a notorious serial killer. The plot, meant to trap him in the act, is so convoluted it’s nearly incomprehensible. How do you spot a killer in a crowd of 20,000?
For those hoping to watch Trap without prior knowledge, your chances are slim—Shyamalan gives away the killer’s identity in both the trailer and early scenes of the film. The movie’s attempts at suspense fall flat as we see Cooper checking his phone to ensure his latest victim is still trapped in a basement, a setup that feels contrived rather than thrilling.
Shyamalan once excelled at building suspense, contrasting onstage excitement with hidden menace. Here, the concert scene, meant to mirror something like Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, features Shyamalan’s daughter, Saleka Shyamalan, performing her own songs. Unfortunately, her performance is overshadowed by the film’s clumsy editing and lack of tension.
The plot is riddled with implausibilities. Events unfold through sheer luck and convenient coincidences, leaving believability behind. For instance, Cooper runs into a souvenir seller, Jamie (played well by Jonathan Langdon), who reveals that the police are setting a trap and that the password for insiders is Hamilton. Later, Cooper stumbles upon a producer (played by Shyamalan himself) who gives him backstage access, allowing him to bypass security with ease.
The film’s depiction of law enforcement is equally disappointing. The chief police profiler, played by the esteemed Hayley Mills, is portrayed as inept and ineffective, a far cry from her earlier roles.
On a positive note, Josh Hartnett delivers a commendable performance as Cooper, convincingly portraying both a serial killer and a devoted father. His skillful portrayal is one of the few redeeming aspects of the film. However, despite his efforts, Trap fails to offer any meaningful thrills or excitement.
The film’s attempts at generating suspense and drama fall flat, leaving viewers with unintentional laughs rather than genuine thrills. It's evident that Shyamalan is struggling to recapture his former success, and Trap only reinforces the sense that he’s running on empty.
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