Trap: The Twist Is We All Fell For It Again
It’s been 25 years since M. Night Shyamalan first tricked the world with his twist ending to “The Sixth Sense” (you know, the dude in the hairpiece the whole time … that’s Bruce Willis – the whole movie).
In the years that have followed, cinephiles around the globe have flocked to theaters with bated breath and cash in hand (roughly $1.3 billion in domestic tickets, and $3.3 billion worldwide) to see what the “master of the plot twist” has in store for them next.
Having just watched his latest film, “Trap,” I can confirm that what M. Night actually has is a bunch of everyone else’s money and a trailer editor that keeps separating suckers from it over and over again. (This includes me, as “Trap” didn’t have advance screenings for critics.)
Note: while this review is reasonably spoiler-free, I do reference things seen in the trailer(s). If you haven’t watched any of them and want to be surprised, stop reading now.

In “Trap,” Cooper (Josh Hartnett) and his teenage daughter, Riley (Ariel Donoghue), are celebrating her excellent grades by attending a concert of her favorite artist, Lady Raven (Seleka Shyamalan). Upon their arrival, however, the doting father notices something alarming: police officers. Lots and lots of police officers. And S.W.A.T. members, FBI agents, and an FBI criminal profiler (Hayley Mills).
Thanks to the spoiler-y trailers, we know this concert is an elaborate trap to capture a serial killer known as The Butcher, and this gaggle of LEOs is on hand to make sure it happens without a hitch. Oh yeah, the trailers also let us know that Cooper is the killer in question. With the building on lockdown, Cooper must balance his need to escape with his desire to make sure his daughter has the time of her life.
The good:
Hartnett provides glimpses of why 20ish years ago many thought he was one of Hollywood’s next big leading men (before traveling a far less glamorous path of sporadic indies and ensemble casts). He’s affable as the doting dad, complete with corny jokes, and menacing as the calmly sinister killer who will do anything to avoid capture.
The film doesn’t take itself too seriously. The further you get into the tale, the more ridiculous it gets (in a fun way). By the end, however, it has devolved from far-fetched stupid fun to just plain stupid.
The bad:
As good as he is, Hartnett isn’t given a whole lot to work with. The dialogue is corny, the action/thrills virtually non-existent for the first hour, and the supporting cast does very little to provide any actual support. In fact, the second best “star” of this movie is Hartnett’s facial expressions, which provide way more than anything spoken throughout.
The “Shyamalan twists” are as predictable as they are plentiful. When he hits (think “The Sixth Sense” and “Split”), it’s the stuff of legends. When he whiffs (pretty much the rest of his filmography), the winds are nearly hurricane strength. Personally, revealing Cooper to be the killer in the third act would have been much impactful than marketing the whole movie around it and including things you see coming a mile away.
The music/sound editing. Saleka Shyamalan might be a very talented musician, but you’d be hard-pressed to know that because more often than not, you can’t really hear her voice, the lyrics, or the music. Even when there’s no dialogue.
The irony, intentional or not, of “Trap” is that at its core it’s the story of how far a father will go to ensure his child’s happiness. For Cooper, that means committing unspeakable acts of violence so his daughter’s (presumably) first concert isn’t ruined by his arrest. For Shyamalan, it’s making a 105-minute infomercial for his daughter’s music under the guise of a psychological thriller.
As much as I wanted to, I simply can’t recommend “Trap” to anyone. It had potential, but the execution simply wasn’t there. But hey, at least it’s better than “Lady in the Water.”
★ of ★★★★★
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