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A simple premise, when delivered well, can go a long way. Such is the case with Trap, a film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan (Split). The thriller follows a father (and serial killer) who, when taking his daughter to a concert, realizes that the authorities have the arena on lockdown so they can take him down. The only trouble is that they need to figure out which man is the serial killer known as The Butcher before he can make his escape. Josh Hartnett (The Faculty) stars as Cooper, while Ariel Donoghue (Wolf Like Me) plays his daughter Riley.
Trap also stars Haley Mills (Pollyanna), Jonathan Langdon (Run the Burbs), Alison Pill (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), Kid Cudi (X), and M. Night’s daughter, Saleka Shyamalan as the fictional pop idol, Lady Raven. Most of the film takes place in the arena where the trap is set. Cooper quickly gets wind of the plan and he realizes that an FBI profiler by the name of Dr. Josephine Grant (Mills) has his psychology pegged. She works out every move he makes before he knows to make it, staying one step ahead of him.
It’s a Trap!
From the moment he sees the extra security – too many police officers and SWAT teams – Cooper surveils the stadium. He looks for exits, entries, pathways, distractions, security, and anything he can manipulate to get himself out of there. While the first half an hour of the film is a little slow, the planning keeps the pace moving because with each dead end the tension rises a little. It’s a slow and steady rise but you do see a strong payoff by the end of the movie, as Trap does have a good ending.
What caught me off guard was how much of the film was reminiscent of the Hitman franchise. Cooper would set off distractions, take outfits, and lie his way through some complex situations to make sure that nobody would think he was suspicious, and all of that is extremely fun to watch. Those parts aren’t necessarily tense, but it’s like watching a heist movie, the stakes are high and it’s fun. It’s a heist movie in reverse, instead of getting into a place, he needs to get out.
Hartnett is fantastically offputting throughout the film, but there are times when it’s just not believable that people think he’s not the person they’re looking for. He plays the character so weirdly at times, it’s so obvious that he’s not the family man everyone thinks he is, but rather a psychopath who chops people up as a hobby. Donoghue is good as his daughter and the pair have fun father-daughter cringeworthy back-and-forths. Kid Cudi steals the couple of scenes he’s in with a comedic performance, while Saleka Shyamalan is fine when she isn’t on stage.
Really Good Vibes
Saleka wrote original tracks for the film, as most of Trap is set to Lady Raven’s music. The concert performances were believable, and the music fits the tone of the pop idol Lady Raven needed to be. You could see why younger girls were going bananas over her music. In addition to Saleka’s songs, the score by Herdís Stefánsdóttir (Knock at the Cabin) was great and swelled over rising tension. While there are great moments of levity, either caused by funny dialogue or Hartnett’s awkwardness, the rising tension is the film’s backbone.
The brilliant cinematography supports the tension, which again adds to the odd feeling that the film exudes. Sayombhu Mukdeeprom (Challengers) was Trap’s cinematographer and his work paid off tremendously. Trap is filled with so many interesting visuals from a split frame with Cooper in the background looking at Dr. Grant in the foreground or the many shots that pan through an environment as if we’re watching through the lens of a surveillance camera when Cooper takes in his surroundings. There’s also the colored lighting that emits from the stage, which doesn’t change the tone much but they make the scenes nice to look at.
That is not to say that the film is without issues. The tone is inconsistent at times, and Hartnett’s performance is just too strange. There’s a method to his madness that becomes evident towards the end of the movie, which helps bring the ending home, but it’s still an off-kilter performance. Not that it’s bad, it’s just distracting. There are also small things that took me out of the film, like how Riley records some of the performance without her phone lit up.
Look Out Below
Thankfully, the story is strong. If you start having questions about the movie, you’ll probably have your answer by the time you leave the theater. But the slow rise at the beginning is a problem. One of the reasons the rise is so slow is because there is only one glimpse at the horrors Cooper is capable of. We never see his gruesome crimes apart from one shot where the body has been covered by the police. Without that, he doesn’t come across too threatening. However, that’s where Hartnett’s performance shines. He’s great at playing the line between concerned father and cornered killer.
Because so much of the film is focused on Hartnett, it’s hard not to focus on the depth of his performance. Many shots are just close-ups of his face, and he does make it seem like there’s no life behind his eyes. It’s inherently creepy but strange, as if Ned Flanders had people in his basement.
Ultimately, M. Night Shyamalan’s latest film leaves a lasting impression, and Trap might be my favorite work since Split. It’s a little funny, terrifically odd, and unabashedly thrilling. Aside from some minor story gripes, a slow start, and a weird lead performance, Trap achieves what it sets up to do. It’s a simple premise, delivered with skill behind and in front of the camera. If you like thrillers, do yourself a favor and catch this one on the big screen so Hartnett’s face fills up all that space.
Trap
Trap is a well-shot, well-executed isolated thriller that would be fantastic if not for a slow start.
Pros
- Beautiful shots amplify tension by getting you close to the killer.
- Hartnett’s fantastically odd performance is fascinating to watch.
- Well-written with cringe-worthy dialogue and a pressure cooker of a final act.
Cons
- A slow start drags the pacing down.
- Hartnett’s performance – while ultimately a huge positive – sinks the plot’s believability.
