I love a good thriller movie. Alfred Hitchcock is my all-time favorite director. There is something to being on the edge of my seat. If a movie can keep me guessing what is going to happen, it makes me happy.
M. Night Shyamalan has been hit and miss for me over the years. I loved Signs, Unbreakable, and The Sixth Sense. Some of his other movies underwhelmed me like The Villiage and Lady in the Water. Trap is the latest film from M. Night Shyamalan. Would it hit for me or leave me cold?
Plot:
(There will be major spoilers– be warned)
Firefighter Cooper Abbott (Josh Hartnett) is a proud father of his daughter, Riley (Ariel Donoghue). As a reward for amazing grades, Cooper buys tickets for him and Riley to see her favorite music artist, Lady Raven (Saleka Night Shyamalan). This concert is the biggest event out there (think of a Taylor Swift concert).
After arriving at the concert venue, Cooper realizes there is a huge police presence. Cooper is a very charismatic guy. He makes friends with one of the merchandise vendors, Jamie. He tricks Jamie into revealing the extra police are there to spring a trap for a serial killer, The Butcher. This surprises Cooper and instantly can see he is concerned about this.
Cooper uses the restroom and checks his phone. He pulls up a live feed of a young man, Spencer, chained in a room. He is yelling for help but no one can hear him. This is the point that we verify that Cooper is the killer known as the butcher.
Cooper steals a headset from the police. This allows him to monitor the progress of the manhunt for him. He discovers Dr. Josephine Grant, an FBI profiler, is leading this hunt. She has accurately profiled him.
Cooper continues to look for a way to escape this trap while trying not to make his daughter suspicious. He continues to disappear from her. He steals a swipe card from Jamie to give him access to the venue. Cooper causes an explosion in a frier at a concession stand to allow him to sneak onto the roof. He is confronted by a couple of members of the swat team on the roof and bluffs his way out of it as he masquerades as workers from the concession stand. They state the only exit not covered is backstage. Cooper makes his way back to his daughter. She is upset that her dad continues to disappear. He tried to get her to focus on the concert. She mentions how at every Lady Raven concert, she picks a young lady from the crowd to join her on the stage to sing and dance with her to the song, “Dreamer Girl”. Then that young lady gets to go backstage with Lady Raven.
I won’t further spoil this movie but it continues with a lot of twists and turns. Cooper shows himself as a master manipulator. It ends up in ways I didn’t expect. Watch this movie if you are into the well-written twists and turns of a psycho killer.
What I liked: (More Spoilers)
The characters are well-written. I find myself at a level hoping that Cooper will find a way out. Riley reminds me of my own daughter. Lady Raven is more than just a knockoff of a real-life pop star. Cooper’s wife in an interesting character.
The story was a great take on the serial killer story. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. It was paced well. It felt like M. Night Shyamalan came back to what he does best.
The acting is top-of-the-line. I was into this story 100% because the characters all came to life. Josh Hartnett knocked the role of Cooper out of the park.
Saleka Night Shyamalan was as amazing as Lady Raven. Saleka wrote, produced, and recorded 14 original songs for the film’s soundtrack. She performed live on the stage. It was authentic. The music was pretty good and I am not a fan of most current pop music.
There is an credit scene that is fun. It isn’t needed but was great.
What I Did Not Like: (Spoilers)
There is nothing that I really disliked in this film.
Review:
I enjoyed Trap very much. It has been a while since I watched a new thriller film that sucked me right in. For me, it was a fun experience.
My Grade: A-
Other Reviews
IMDB: 5.9 out of 10
Rotten Tomatoes: 57%
Google Users: 71%
Metacritic: 52%
Trap is Currently streaming on MAX.
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