At this point, I’m sure you all know who M. Night Shyamalan is and what his movies are like. They’re so predictably twisting and atmospheric that there’s now a new genre dedicated solely to this type of movie. His latest release slightly veers off of that well-beaten path somehow remaining as M. Night Shyamalany as it can possibly be. Trap is a single-location thriller unfolding in real time about a father and daughter attending a concert that’s about to turn into a nightmarish event. At least for some of the attendants while the others won’t be alive to see and hear its end. If this synopsis feels a bit thin and vague it’s because it is.
I don’t want to spoil the “experience” for you. After all, I think you already know what to expect from this movie. I went into it knowing nothing about the story or anything else. And I have to admit that it surpassed my expectations despite its obvious plot holes and contrived twists. It is much, much better than Shyamalan’s last two movies Old and Knock at the Cabin. It’s better than both of them combined! Trap is able to maintain suspense and tension throughout its short, 99-minute, running time. Oddly enough, Josh Hartnett, whom I absolutely love, gave a just-okay performance.
I feel like he felt like he didn’t know how to quite play his character. However, I think it’s far more important to address something right away. If you’re expecting a super-smart thriller that’s going to blow you away, you will be disappointed. If you’re expecting an entertaining thriller trying to be smart, you will be, well, entertained. You could also try to notice all the times the story took an unexpected and highly unlikely turn just to proceed with its main objective. And that objective is, you guessed it, to sell as many Saleka Shyamalan’s CDs as humanely possible.
Yes, it is true, M. Night’s own daughter, who’s apparently also a singer plays one of the lead roles in Trap. And don’t worry, you’ll get your cameo too! I mean, I ain’t even mad, it’s amazing. Moreover, since daddy Night is bankrolling this whole venture, I think he’s entitled to a perk or two. If we’re talking honestly, I quite liked Lady Raven’s, I mean, Saleka’s music. It’s got this commercial easygoing vibe about it. And this is coming from a true metalhead. Hell, as I’m writing these lines I’m listening to death metal.
To get back to this whole “keep it in the family – one big promotional video” thing, I have only one thing to say: hustle hard or don’t hustle at all. All joking aside, Saleka is just an okay actress, I think it’s better that she sticks to singing and leaves acting to the professionals. Young Ariel Donoghue, who plays Riley, was excellent and I expect we are going to be seeing a lot of her in the coming years. Trap also feels oddly relatable, putting you in the shoes of someone taking his kid to a pop concert. I’m sure a lot of parents are going to know this feeling.
This is, perhaps, why there won’t be almost any graphic violence. To be clear, this is not a complaint, I’m just noticing things. Finally, I quite enjoyed Trap despite all of its flaws. The single-location unfolding-in-real-time gimmicks are some of my favorites. I was also willing to suspend my logic and reasoning to be entertained. The movie also quite efficiently emulates that feeling of being at a big concert.
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Writer: M. Night Shyamalan
Cast: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donoghue, Alison Pill, Hayley Mills, Jonathan Langdon
Fun Facts: The inspiration for the movie Trap came from a real FBI sting operation. Moreover, Operation Flagship resulted in an arrest of over 100 wanted fugitives who apparently “won” a ticket to a football game.
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IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26753003/
