Trap

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Out of all the famous directors out there who have some kind of a something they're known for, M. Night Shyamalan has got to be one of the more irksome. Famous for his twists, several of them hold up really well and make for an awesome first (maybe second) watch. Sometimes, however, these twists fall on their asses, and make for something more of either a confusing mess, or a bitter disappointment. With 'Trap' here, we have a bit of an anomaly, because the twist is something we see coming from a mile away... but in less time than half the movie.

However, while a lot of people seem to be meeting this entry in the middle as far as quality is concerned, I have to say it was one of the more disappointing for me, and has (maybe this is just a "me" thing) notes of 'Lady in the Water' to it, which I still claim to be Shyamalan's worst project. Were there things I liked about it? Sure, but it's kinda like saying I liked the sauce on some horribly burnt chicken wings. This is another one I feel almost insults the audience with some of the things they get away with, plot-wise.

In this world, there is a pop idol named Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan), who Saleka mentions was inspired by a mixture of Rihanna, Rosalía, Adele, and Billie Eilish. Throwing a concert in Philly, a father named Cooper Adams (Josh Hartnett) takes his daughter, Riley (Ariel Donoghue), as a reward for her good grades. As the concert unfolds, Cooper starts to notice an abundance of cops and even FBI agents start to surround the arena, both inside and out. While Riley tries to enjoy the concert of her dreams, Cooper starts to believe that something more is up.

Upon asking around, Cooper eventually learns that the heavy police force is surrounding the area in hopes to capture a ruthless serial killer, known only as "The Butcher" (could we be more unoriginal?), who was said to be present at the concert that night. This is where we learn the twist that we see coming from a mile away, probably even from the trailer, and things try to get intense from there, but don't do a very good job when we see that the person they are looking for slips past the feds for a cup of coffee - as I mentioned, insulting.

Unfortunately, there's not a whole hell of a lot to say about it without giving too much away, but even having said that, the film hasn't entirely been a box office smash hit either, suggesting there aren't a whole lot of people still riding that Shyamalan train. Every now and then, he'll come up with a gem, but I think his disappointments outweigh his hits, and people have tuned into that. I'm not gonna sit here and say he's awful, but I will say he may have become an acquired taste over the years.

Going back to some of the things I did enjoy about the film, however, start with Josh Hartnett's performance. To anyone who has seen this, it goes without saying that he's pretty over-the-top with his acting, but I feel like it's very much done on purpose, as if to help give away the twist easier. It's almost like Shyamalan wanted to do a bit more of the same, but keep it different enough, almost parodying how obvious his twists can be to some people. It does feel a little self-aware at times. It still comes across as bad, but it's an interesting thought.

Personally speaking, I never know if I'm gonna like one of Shyamalan's movies or not, but I'm generally willing to give them a chance. Out of his last four films preceding this, I liked two of them, but didn't think much of the other two, so for me, he remains unpredictable for my own tastes. So I'll still be watching Shyamalan flicks when they come out, but I'll never feel like I'm rolling the dice with a director more. 'Trap' just added to his pile of bad material, but at least I can say there are definitely worse titles from him out there.

2/5

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