Trap

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Alison Pill, Hayley Mills, Jonathan Langdon, Mark Bacolol, Kid Cudi
Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Thriller
2024

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A father (Josh Hartnett) takes his daughter (Ariel Donoghue) to a concert, where he learns that the FBI have laid a trap for a notorious serial killer.

Review:

Tim: When I first saw the trailer for Trap, I thought, "Okay, that looks good." M. Night Shyamalan has had a bit of a resurgence lately-- he's not consistent, but he's had a number of solid, worthwhile films. The idea of the FBI stalking a serial killer at a pop concert is intriguing. Unfortunately, the reality here is something different. I found the film to be ludicrous, ridiculous, consistently illogical. The script is terrible, some of the cast is terrible, and I didn't care for a lot of Shyamalan's choices here. Now, the film itself isn't as bad as it seems- it has redeeming qualities. However, the reality is that this kind of "okay" film is substantially worse than it should have been. It's a disappointment.

The problems all start with Shyamalan's script- it's bad, full of absurd moments and unrealistic events. The film kind of tries to sell this, but I was cringing and rolling my eyes continually throughout the film. There's absolutely no way that an FBI contingent would allow a murderer to so easily slip in and out of their net. Almost nothing that happens in this film bears any resemblance to reality. It's the big things, but it's also the small things, too- Josh Hartnett's character spends so much concert time not actually watching the performers, his daughter doesn't seem to notice much, and he runs into other parents, haunting the halls of the arena. It's all just so implausible that the lack of logic in the script crumbles the entire film. This isn't a one or two time thing- nearly all the events of this film feel completely impossible.

The performances aren't great. Josh Hartnett will undoubtedly receive attention for his performance. It feels like he made some clear and definite decisions of how he wanted to play this character. Some people will likely love his odd interpretation and wax poetic about his brilliant performance. I can absolutely see that interpretation. I felt the opposite- I didn't appreciate his acting decisions. He comes across as forced, absurd. Defenders will argue that that's absolutely the point, but I disliked his performance. I don't think he's bad- he commits to his approach from beginning to end and you do need to give him credit. It's such an unexpected, odd performance. For me, though, it doesn't really work. I appreciate him taking a big swing, but the results were lackluster (in my opinion).

Ariel Donoghue is fine her role, but the script doesn't help her at all. I really wondered about the actress who plays the pop star. What was her deal, I thought? She's not good. At times, she's awful. Then, I looked it up- Saleka Shyamalan. Ah, it all made sense. How can a director appropriately evaluate the performance of his daughter? I get wanting to help your kids out- shoot, I'd probably do the same kind of thing if I could. However, Saleka Shyamalan isn't a good actress. She puts SO MUCH into her performance- you can tell she's trying her absolute best. It's simply not even close to good enough. Her cringy performance hurts this movie. I did love the casting of Hayley Mills- that was brilliant and inspired. Of course, she's given very little to do. Alison Pill was solid, although it takes a long time for her to show up.

Shyamalan has been very hit-or-miss as a director. Trap is full of holes and problems, but it's far from his worst film. The issue here might not be that Shyamalan isn't a good director (although his script is trash), but I think he made a ton of bad choices in this film. He needed someone to fix his script. He needed to reign Hartnett in. He never should have cast his daughter. The whole tone of the film feels off. The approach is unique, but not in a good way. There's something impressive about a director going all out in the wrong direction, though. I didn't hate Trap as a whole. I hated the script and some of the cast, but I was mildly interested in the overall narrative. There's a lot of twists and turns. None of them make sense, but there's definitely some level of entertainment to be had- similar to watching a car crash.

I fully expect some people would be big fans of this movie and that's okay. I've heard some praise for Hartnett's memorable performance. That's cool. I just didn't see it. This is a bad movie masquerading as something more than it is. Shyamalan has had some successes in his career, undoubtedly. Unfortunately, Trap is a reminder that he's one of the more inconsistent directors working today.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 6



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