Trap (2024)

If you've seen the trailer for Trap then you know how the film is set to play out. There's no extra twist, which itself feels like a twist, considering that this is another thriller written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. But maybe we should let Shyamalan try new things, considering he hasn't helmed something fully successful for over two decades now. Yes, you can find elements to enjoy in some of his other movies, but none have come close to the strong run he had at the turn of the century.

Josh Hartnett plays Cooper, a loving father accompanying his daughter (Riley, played by Ariel Donoghue) to a teen pop concert. The pop star on stage is Lady Raven (played by Saleka Shyamalan), but there's also a lot happening elsewhere in the venue. The whole thing has been turned into an operation to catch a notorious serial killer. They know he is attending the concert with his child, but can they catch him before he causes mayhem at the concert.

I won't say that this is completely unwatchable. There's some fun to be had, and it's worth your time, but that is all thanks to the entertainingly over the top performance from Hartnett, who often feels as if he's walked in from a completely different film. If the main premise had been finessed and treated more carefully then this could have been a really fun time, but I sadly have to join the chorus of voices disapproving of the fact that Shyamalan seems as intent on creating a concert movie for his daughter to star in than a taut and fun thriller.

The best scenes in the movie show us the offstage events in the concert venue, with the many police trying to cut off all means of escape as a main character tries to figure out the geography of the place and ensure that they're not stuck there alongside everyone else. Shyamalan cannot help himself though, he has to spend time wallowing in his own self-satisfaction, whether that's trying to make his daughter a star, shoehorning his own cameo in there, or casting Hayley Mills in a supporting role because she starred in The Parent Trap (get it? GET IT?), despite the fact that she feels too old for the role, and isn't well-utilised at all.

Hartnett really tries hard though, and he knows exactly what he's doing with his performance. Viewers will love or hate it. I loved it. Donoghue is also pretty good as his daughter, believably content in her own little bubble when allowed to just enjoy the pop concert, but also enjoying moments when she can use the support of her father to remember that facing the everyday life they will be heading back to doesn't have to seem so scary and miserable. Saleka Shyamalan is bad, and gets even worse when her character is no longer just performing on the stage. Jonathan Langdon is good fun in a small role that has him delivering most of the exposition in the first half of the movie, and there are a couple of decent moments for Marnie McPhail and Alison Pill, the latter really getting to shine in a fantastic third act scene that needs strong acting to detract from the fact that it's really just explaining everything leading up to the start of the movie.

There's still something to appreciate about Shyamalan defiantly doing just exactly what he wants to do with his movies, and you cannot deny that he dances to his own tune (for better or worse), but this is a laughable mess that could have been so much better, and the worst parts of it feel like the most obvious Shyamalan touches.

4/10

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