Trap (2024)

Cinema Visit of 2024: 26

This is remarkably the first M. Night Shyamalan film I have ever seen at the cinema. It’s also one that I have been intrigued with since I saw the first trailer. Set up of the film is the Cooper (Josh Hartnett takes his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to a Lady Raven concert (Lady Raven played by M. Night’s daughter Saleka) but the concert is actually a trap for Cooper who is revealed (in the trailer) to be a serial killer. It’s fair to say that M. Night Shyamalan has had an up and down career but I do honestly think that he has turned a corner since After Earth and hoped this would be another step in the right direction.

THE GOOD STUFF
All the stuff in the arena is quite good. There is a sense of claustrophobia in such a huge building and that's not an easy thing to pull off. The question is how is Cooper going to get out and that is what the film should have been about. Josh Hartnett is very good as Cooper showing both sides of his personality with the nice father fireman side and then the horrible person who traps people in his basement for no clear reason. Ariel Donoghue was also quite good as Riley although she is a bit too willing to ignore things when Cooper's behaviour gets more extreme.

The proper twist being that it was Rachel that tipped the police off and ultimately set the trap in the final act was quite good. Some people might not like this twist but given that it came in the final act then it worked quite well. 

THE BAD STUFF
Pretty much everything after they leave the arena. Trap proves that M. Night has great ideas but has no idea how to implement them into a good story. There are ridiculous moments after ridiculous moments.  Firstly the FBI are quite stupid in this film as the Dr (Hayley Mills) says at one point that they are using ‘Protocol 4’ and then proceeds to tell us what it is. I know this is to give the audience the information but in the reality of this film it wouldn’t be needed just in case the target is listening. 

The subplot with Riley and her ‘friend’ Jody and Jody’s mom and Cooper having their conversation in the foyer ultimately led to nothing and so I could have easily done without that. I know it was probably something to distract us but I think that the film could have afforded to lose it.

So there is a moment where a crowd is surrounding a limo where Cooper is dressed as a SWAT cop and Lady Raven escapes and somehow Copper manages to take his SWAT clothes off, changes into something else and escapes the limo without anyone seeing him or pointing out that the guy is running away. The last moment of the film sees Cooper break free from his cuffs as he is being taken away which raises questions such as how is he going to escape when he will presumably be under armed guard when the door opens. A mate of mine says that this might be part of the same universe as Split and Glass and so this makes sense otherwise is a stupid way to end the film.

OVERALL
This was a disappointing film. The trailer makes it look like we were going to get something in one setting which are the kind of stories I like and even moving it away from the area wasn't a bad thing but it got so stupid towards the end that I was kind of annoyed at Shyamalan. Trap isn’t at the same level of terrible as After Earth but its a disappointment and another reason why I should watch trailers.