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Home - Reviews - Trap (2024) – Written Review

Trap (2024) – Written Review

Josh Hartnett delivers a notable performance under M. Night Shyamalan’s direction and writing, but while the premise is good, things go downhill once it has to be more than a singular idea.

ByAmari Allah Hours Posted onAugust 2, 2024 1:54 PMAugust 2, 2024 1:54 PM

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.


Additionally, some images and text may include affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission or receive products if you make a purchase.


  • Plot Summary
    • Noted Cast and Characters Of "Trap"
      • Josh Hartnett As Cooper
      • Ariel Donoghue As Riley
      • Saleka Shyamalan As Lady Raven
    • Content Information
  • Review
    • Highlights
      • Josh Hartnett As Cooper
    • On The Fence
      • Like Most M. Night Shyamalan Movies, It Peaks Then Goes Downhill Fast
  • General Information
    • Film Length
    • Date Released
    • How To Watch "Trap"
    • External Link (Stream Here or Go To Official Site)
    • Distributor
    • Director(s)
    • Writer(s)
    • Genre(s)
    • Content Rating
    • Why Is The Movie Named "Trap?"
    • Is There A Mid-Credit or Post-Credit Scene For "Trap?"

Plot Summary

Originally, it seemed Cooper and Riley were just going to see Lady Raven in concert. She just added a new show, and Riley was so excited. However, no sooner than tickets were scanned, Cooper noticed there weren’t just a normal level of police for a 20,000+ people concert – there was SWAT and the FBI. With that, he asks around and learns that the whole stadium is a trap for a serial killer named “The Butcher,” and they are checking all men for any of the few bits of information they have.

This freaks Cooper out, so we watch as he tries to avoid being checked by the police and potentially being caught.

Noted Cast and Characters Of “Trap”

Josh Hartnett As Cooper

Josh Hartnett As Cooper

Cooper is a husband, father of two, a firefighter with EMT training, and also a serial killer who has killed seven people in roughly 12 years in a brutal fashion.

  • The actor is also known for their role in “Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre.”

Ariel Donoghue As Riley

Ariel Donoghue As Riley and Josh Hartnett As Cooper

Riley is Cooper’s daughter and eldest child, who might be 12 but loves her father, enjoys spending time with him, and doesn’t know about what he does while she is asleep in bed.

Saleka Shyamalan As Lady Raven

Saleka Shyamalan As Lady Raven

Lady Raven is a pop star who is one of Riley’s favorite artists.

Content Information

  • Dialog: Cursing
  • Violence: Notable Fight Scenes
  • Sexual Content: N/A
  • Miscellaneous: Depiction of Corpses, Drinking

Review

Our Rating: Positive (Worth Seeing)

Check out our movies page for our latest movie reviews and recommendations.

Highlights

Josh Hartnett As Cooper

The trailer pretty much gives away that Cooper is the killer, but what the film pushes throughout is the why, how many victims, and what makes Cooper’s portrayal brilliant is the balancing act between Cooper’s two lives. He is a serial killer who has killed 12 people in 7 years, but he is also a dutiful father.

Riley adores her dad, and clearly, he has raised her right. She wants them to share a moment at the concert; she teaches him slang and gets mad whenever he leaves to try to figure a way out to escape.

This mix almost makes it so, knowing what Cooper did, you want him to get away somehow, and with every chance he gets, you hope he’ll succeed. For while he is a bad guy, he is one that doesn’t exist in a black-and-white world of bad people being loners with no social skills or who have such phony personas that make them seem disingenuous. He may not be someone you want to be friends with, but Hartnett is able to tap into something that makes it so, even if just for the sake of Cooper’s daughter, you want him to escape this situation.

On The Fence

Like Most M. Night Shyamalan Movies, It Peaks Then Goes Downhill Fast

As shown by the majority of the productions M. Night Shyamalan has his name on, the premise is cool, and the build is awesome, but somewhere halfway towards the movie, things go downhill, and it’s basically a runaway train with no brakes or a means to save itself. “Trap” is no different, for as Cooper gets desperate and loses control, the film takes away a lot of what makes Cooper so interesting as a serial killer.

You are telling us that this man is so dangerous, so heinous, that the FBI and other law enforcement decided to involve a pop star as part of a trap where thousands of men would have to get searched and investigated. All of this and more is done to take him down, yet then you snatch away this man, coming off so devious and meticulous in a way that almost seems like a joke?

Honestly, once Cooper gets to the point where he runs out of ideas, it seems everyone involved with the story does, too. So they decided to lose how Cooper can be seen as compelling and just have things escalate to the point where they almost completely dismantle what Cooper was built to be until he is stripped down to what, once again, you can fall in love with.

General Information

Film Length

1 Hour 45 Minutes

Date Released

August 1, 2024

How To Watch “Trap”

In Theaters

External Link (Stream Here or Go To Official Site)

Official Site

Distributor

Warner Brothers

Director(s)

M. Night Shyamalan       

Writer(s)

M. Night Shyamalan       

Genre(s)

Crime, Thriller

Content Rating

Rated PG-13

Why Is The Movie Named “Trap?”

Because they are trying to trap Cooper aka The Butcher.

Is There A Mid-Credit or Post-Credit Scene For “Trap?”

There is a mid-credit scene featuring the character from the trailer.


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Trap (2024) – Written Review

Movie title: Trap

Movie description: Josh Hartnett delivers a notable performance under M. Night Shyamalan’s direction and writing, but while the premise is good, things go downhill once it has to be more than a singular idea.

Date published: August 2, 2024

Country: United States

Duration: 1 Hour 45 Minutes

Author: Amari Allah

Director(s): M. Night Shyamalan

Actor(s): Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donoghue, Josh Hartnett

Genre: Crime, Thriller

  • Official Site

Summary

“Trap” if looked at purely as entertainment, does what it needs to do. Hartnett provides a compelling lead to what, for the majority of the film, is an interesting story. But, as Harvey Dent said in “The Dark Knight,” “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain,” and the same can be said about movies. You either end too soon and leave them wanting more or overextend yourself and be considered too long, aimless, and in need of a good editor.

Overall
81%
81%
  • Like Most M. Night Shyamalan Movies, It Peaks Then Goes Downhill Fast - 77%
    77%
  • Josh Hartnett As Cooper - 85%
    85%
Sending
User Review
0/100 (0 votes)

Pros

  • Highlights
    Josh Hartnett As Cooper

Cons

  • Like Most M. Night Shyamalan Movies, It Peaks Then Goes Downhill Fast

Listed Under Categories: Reviews, Movies, Positive (Worth Seeing)

Related Tags: Ariel Donoghue, Crime, Josh Hartnett, M. Night Shyamalan, Rated PG-13, Saleka Shyamalan, Thriller, Warner Brothers

Amari Allah

Amari is the founder and head writer of Wherever-I-Look.com and has been writing reviews since 2010, with a focus on dramas and comedies.

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