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.
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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
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
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
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)
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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)
Distributor
Warner Brothers
Director(s)
M. Night Shyamalan
Writer(s)
M. Night Shyamalan
Genre(s)
Content Rating
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.
