Throughout his career, M. Night Shyamalan has established himself as a prolific writer and filmmaker known for his ability to consistently craft films with original and innovative ideas, as evidenced by some of his works, including The Sixth Sense (1999), Unbreakable (2000), Signs (2002), Split (2016), etc. As a result, viewers look forward to the release of his films with great anticipation. Trap, his latest feature, has an intriguing premise and a lot of potential, but it fails to deliver, owing primarily to its meandering screenplay.
Cooper Adams (Josh Harnett) takes her daughter, Riley (Ariel Donoghue), to see her favorite artist and a famous pop sensation, Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan), perform in Pennsylvania as a reward for her excellent grades. He instantly notices an abnormally heavy police presence at the performance venue, including the FBI. Through a vendor named Jaimie (Jonathan Langdon), Cooper finds out that “The Butcher,” a notorious serial killer, is being sought by the police, and they have concrete information that the killer is inside the building attending the concert. Eventually, it becomes evident that Cooper is the serial killer the authorities are looking for, and he must find ways to escape the building and evade the police.
Without missing a beat, Shyamalan skillfully sets the mood and atmosphere of the concert. By the fifteen-minute mark, after Lady Raven has performed a couple of lovely songs, Cooper is revealed to be the serial killer. The following scene is Cooper’s encounter with Jaimie, in which the latter discloses that the police have established a trap to apprehend The Butcher. During this conversation, Shyamalan brilliantly employs tight close-up shots of Cooper to intensify the gravity of the information and generate suspense. These shots also serve as a visual cue for viewers to brace themselves for the upcoming chaos and the emergence of something shocking, heightening our excitement and making us wonder how he will get out of there while fleeing the police and keeping Riley in the dark. As a result, Cooper’s mind begins to race against the clock as he contemplates his escape plans. Thankfully, his actions—such as his attempt to ascertain the knowledge of the police’s plans by befriending Jaimie, his accidental discovery of a staff ID card in an apron to present to the police while posing as an employee, or the way he gets Riley behind the stage after learning that there is a way out back—do not come across as forced and feels spontaneous. Despite all his efforts, he remains trapped inside the building with no way out, and the chances of getting caught grow by the second. Ultimately, the escape option he chooses feels appropriate and his sole viable option, setting the stage for a high-stakes climax.
Regrettably, the film loses steam as it veers off course and fails to capitalize on the suspense established at the end of the second act. The final act drags needlessly, and some obvious plot holes are hard to overlook. This results in an unsatisfying ending because the final twist—which Shyamalan is famous for—feels underwhelming and makes little sense. Although the film fails to fully and satisfactorily address Cooper’s issues with his mother, Josh Harnett gives a career-best performance as he brilliantly holds the film together. Shyamalan films Josh Harnett in close-ups frequently, a sign of the director’s confidence in his actor; Harnett more than lives up to the expectations by delivering a convincing and committed portrayal of a psycho serial killer as well as an adoring father and loving family man. Additionally, Ariel Donoghue gives a decent and emotionally invested performance as Riley, who embodies the role’s naiveté and seems genuinely worried about her father while unaware of his dark secrets. Trap shows great promise but falls short of expectations.
Trap movie links: Letterboxd, IMDB
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