The following contains spoilers for Trap, now playing in theaters
Summary
Traphas a great concept, and I’m sad the film doesn’t fully commit to the elements that make it stand out. The latest film by director/writer M. Night Shyamalan,Trapfollows a serial killer known as the Butcher — aka family man Cooper, who has been hiding his dark side from the world. Playing up his innocent persona as a loving father, Cooper brings his daughter to a concert, only to realize too late that it’s a trap set by the FBI to capture the Butcher. It’s a great set-up for a dark thriller.
On paper, the premise andcharacters ofTrapare interesting. In execution, it’s largely a solid film — especially the first two acts, which find compelling ways to ratchet up the tension without becoming over-complicated by Shyamalan’s infamous habit of relying on twists and turns. Unfortunately,that habit becomes increasingly pronounced in the film’s third act. It’s a huge bummer, as I was throughly enjoying the thriller before those twists, turns, and plot-holes baked intoTrap’s endingsink the film.
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Trap’s Cool Premise Is Undercut By The Third Act
TrapShould Have Remained A Tight One-Location Thriller
Traphas a really cool set-up, butI’m disappointed by how the third act overcomplicates the story.Traphas an undeniably strong premise, setting up a cat-and-mouse thriller where the audience follows a serial killer trying to escape a large-scale trap laid for him. Complicating matters is the way the film establishes Cooper as a father first, and as the Butcher second. These two warring elements of the character set up a fascinating push-and-pull in terms of motivation in any given scene, allowing his manipulations and sincerity to blend together as he tries to stay one step ahead of his pursuers.
It’s a really cool concept, and unfortunately one that falls apart as soon as the character escapes the titular trap. While trying to find an escape,Cooper’s story is darkly compelling. However, after encountering Lady Raven, Cooper reveals his identity and tries to coerce her cooperation in his escape. The subsequent escape introduces a lot of little plot holes that only grow as the film heads towards a muddled climax. Before the third act, I was impressed with his streamlined Shyamalan was keeping the story. However, the last part of the film proved my concerns aboutTrapwere well-founded.
Shyamalan’s Script Has Too Many Swerves (And Trap Suffers Because Of It)
The Plot Turns & Reveals Of The Third Act OvercomplicateTrap’s Best Elements
M. Night Shyamalan is one of the most prolific directors of the modern day, but his trademark style has become almost as much of a curse as it is a blessing. The best of his films are inventive genre-thrillers that work beyond the twists and turns of the script.At first, that’s whatTrapseemed to be heading towards. Thebig “twist” ofTrapis set up to be Cooper’s identity as the Butcher, and the film reveals this early enough that the audience becomes focused on his escape attempts and their own complicated feelings about following his story.
However, as more characters get directly involved in the plot once Cooper escapes the concert,Trapbecomes critically overstuffed. Characters like Lady Raven and Dr. Josephine Grant introduce more plot-holes than resolve them. Cooper’s confrontation with his wife Rachel is more about the twists of the plot than their interactions, and the visions of Cooper’s mother are more distracting than illuminating.All these little twists and turns in the third act add a lot of unnecessary baggage onto a filmthat was working best when it was lean and focused, and it suffers as a result.
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Trap Could Have Been Shyamalan’s Best Movie (But He Couldn’t Stick The Landing)
A Tighter Focus Would Have ElevatedTrapTo The Top Of Shyamalan’s Filmography
I was really excited aboutTrap, andI still think it ranks among Shyamalan’s better films. However, I’m disappointed it couldn’t maintain the momentum of its first two acts. At heart, the film is a strong character-driven dark thriller that feels reminiscent of Alfred Hitchock films likeShadow of a DoubtorSuspicion. Setting it within a concert venue is a good visual concept that benefits the tension. When it’s a single location thriller about a horrible person trying to evade capture while maintaining his most human connection,Trapis great — and I wish it had stuck to those strengths.
However,the underlying flaws of many Shyamalan films drag the narrative down. Characters like Rachel and Dr. Grant overexplain their roles in the plot. Instead, a tighter focus on the concert would have kept those elements to the sideline instead of overtaking the real draw of the film, which remains Cooper and his attempts to be both a good father and evade justice. As a result,Trapsuffers from the same storytelling faults that hinder his other films, turning potentially his best film ever into a cool concept that fizzles out by the end.
Trap
Cast
Trap is a film by writer-director M. Night Shyamalan under his Blinding Edge Pictures label. The film is part of a deal struck with Warner Bros for him to direct and produce several films under their banner.
