Trap (2024)

​“Trap” stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills, and Alison Pill.  Released on August 2, 2024, the film has a serial killer realizing that a concert he’s attending is a trap by the police.

The film is written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, who also directed films such as “Signs”, “The Happening”, “Old”, and “Knock at the Cabin”.  Concerts are fantastic ways to see your favorite artists perform their songs live to thousands of their fans.  Of course, there’s also the matter of spending a fortune to get the best seats in the house.  However, in this concert, the real show happens beyond the singing, which nobody notices except one.  It’s pretty fitting that the Shyamalan family is concluding their summer of thrills with another movie in their catalog, especially since Shyamalan’s daughter Ishana’s directorial debut failed to spark any of those thrills.  This time, the film’s action occurs at every teenage girl’s favorite event, in which the loud screaming fans and overpriced tickets are the least of our concerns.  Plus, it’s got another Shyamalan daughter involved, but only on the screen instead of behind the camera.  Was it able to continue M. Night Shyamalan’s redemption streak, or are we better off listening to our favorite artist on the radio?  Let’s find out.

The story centers on Cooper (Hartnett), a father attending a concert for famous pop star Lady Raven (Shyamalan) with his daughter Riley (Donoghue).  During the concert, Cooper finds the stadium surrounded by hundreds of cops and security members surveilling the area.  He eventually discovers from one of the employees that the concert is designed as a trap by Dr. Grant (Mills) to find and arrest an infamous serial killer dubbed “The Butcher”, known for cutting his victims to pieces.  However, people don’t realize that Cooper is actually “The Butcher”, who’s been hiding from the authorities.  Now caught in the middle of the operation, Cooper uses his stealthy ways to escape this dilemma while keeping his deadly secret hidden from Riley.

Out of the two Shyamalan films that were out this summer, “Trap” was my most anticipated regarding its concept.  While “The Watchers” had some promise in Ishana’s directorial vision, it failed to meet my expectations of being an effectively terrifying addition to the cabin-in-the-woods horror collection.  This left Shyamalan’s daughters with one last opportunity to convince me they’re ready to make it big in the film industry like their father, mainly Ishana’s sister, Saleka, who stars in “Trap” as a pop star.  What intrigued me the most about “Trap” was its marketing.  M. Night Shyamalan is usually known for hiding game-changing twists from the trailers, but “Trap” stood out due to its marketing actually showing the protagonist’s surprising reveal instead of saving it for the final cut.  It’s a surprising change of pace in Shyamalan’s strategy that either heightens or diminishes people’s expectations.  However, what matters is whether the movie has enough rewarding moments to make a successful killing regardless of the marketing.

Suppose people were to ask me if it’s worth watching without knowing what to expect from its trailers.  Based on what I experienced, I would answer that question with a yes.  It would likely enhance your chances of being genuinely enthralled by its nerve-wracking yet subtle scenario.  However, even if you did watch the trailer beforehand, you’ll still feel the same way, as “Trap” delivered exactly what you’d expected from the marketing and nothing else.  It’s a surprisingly straightforward yet diverting thriller that benefited from its unhinged main lead and discomfort.  It’s not going to blow people’s minds with its storytelling or the lack of refreshing surprises, but if its goal were to enthrall me with the protagonist’s strategic stealth inside a concert, I would say it did its job well.

Besides his divisive twists, M. Night Shyamalan usually impresses with his narrative vision regarding the still frameworks and unsettling aesthetics.  Whether you love or hate the guy, it’s hard to ignore his filmmaking finesse amid his surreally unique ideas.  What lacks in explosive and violent affairs compensates with Shyamalan’s display of subtle tension and an unnerving sense of anxiety.  “Trap” is unsurprisingly no different, with Shyamalan using his cinematic techniques to reflect the authenticity of a seemingly harmless special outing, which happens to be tightly secured.  In terms of Shyamalan’s screenplay, though, “Trap” is one of the movies that offer some enticing ideas, but the execution might not satisfy everyone.  The first half delivered an enticing blend of suspense and apprehension amid a harmless father-daughter outing within a single stadium.  Unfortunately, the rest of the movie struggled to elevate its thrilling concept further, and it may have been a couple of minutes too long.  Nonetheless, “Trap” maintains its consistency long enough to entertain me with its mesmerizing tension.

Most of the movie’s suspense came from its lead, Josh Hartnett, who plays Cooper.  Hartnett, who recently starred in the Oscar-winning movie, “Oppenheimer”, was tasked with delivering a performance that’s highly charismatic yet unnervingly terrifying.  This is also one of Shyamalan’s strengths regarding his psychological thrillers: providing memorable and unhinged antagonists that make us hope we didn’t bump into them in person.  James McAvoy from “Split” and Dave Bautista in “Knock at the Cabin” had recently set those standards for the genre, with many people hoping that Hartnett would join this infamous club.  After watching his performance unfold, I can easily say that Josh Hartnett was worthy of joining Shyamalan’s list of deranged psychopaths who might keep us awake at night.  His complex facial expressions and discomforting aura had the right amount of dread to elevate Josh Hartnett’s status as another compelling actor.  But he also didn’t forget to have some fun in that particular role, especially when Cooper is around Riley.  

The rest of the cast was also decent in their roles, including the young Ariel Donoghue as Riley.  R&B singer-songwriter and Shyamalan’s daughter, Saleka Shyamalan, makes her acting debut as Lady Raven and even wrote and performed fourteen original songs exclusively for “Trap”.  This film was my second exposure to Saleka and her music, following her original song “Remain” in “Old”, and I must admit that she’s got quite the voice.  Her singing was quite a treat to listen to, but the actual test is her acting, as she surprisingly has much more to do with her character than what I was led to believe.  Based on what I saw, I thought she did all right for her first acting gig.  It’s not exceptional, but I’ve seen worse from some newcomers, and her soundtrack was certainly a toe-tapper.  Hayley Mills and Alison Pill were also pretty good as Dr. Grant and Rachel, respectively.  I would also give massive credit to the film’s cinematographer, Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, for providing impeccable frameworks and close-up shots, especially during the concert sequences, all shot on a 35mm film stock.  If that name sounds familiar, Mukdeeprom also worked with Luca Guadagnino for films like “Call Me By Your Name” and “Challengers”.  

Overall, “Trap” is a subtle yet highly unnerving psychological treat that’s as fun as attending an actual concert.  Like Shyamalan’s previous works, the movie may not get everyone cheering as the audience did for Lady Raven, mainly due to its hit-and-miss second half and runtime.  However, it isn’t without some rewards that came from the director’s risk of providing a simplistic yet compelling narrative instead of relying on divisive twist endings.  Josh Hartnett delivered one of his most entertaining performances as a deranged father/serial killer, and Saleka Shyamalan made an okay first impression in her acting debut.  Additionally, M. Night Shyamalan’s direction and the film’s cinematography helped maintain the consistent suspense long enough to forgive the issues in its screenplay.  While it’s far from a crowd-pleasing experience, it’s a pleasantly unnerving treat from the filmmaker and his music-driven daughter.  I guess I found another reason not to go to any more concerts.

B-