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Film: Trap
Format: DVD from Sycamore Public Library on basement television.

I wonder sometimes how many chances someone should get. I’ve given M. Night Shyamalan a bunch of chances based on the strength of a couple of his movies. The Sixth Sense was great for the time, although I have since discovered that I like Stir of Echoes much more. He’s had a few good movies, though, but has also had some legendary stinkers. I went into Trap knowing that reviews were mixed (at best), but having at least respected both Split and Knock at the Cabin. And, truthfully, any good will he earned from those movies he has lost with this one.

The set-up for Trap is an interesting one until you actually discover what the set-up is. The tag line is “30,000 fans. 300 cops. 1 serial killer. No escape.” What that sounds like to me is that there’s going to be some sort of massive concert (check) where a serial killer is operating, suddenly presented with a huge number of possible victims (not so much). That’s a movie I would find interesting to watch. Trap is not that. Instead, what this movie includes is a massive concert where a serial killer is in attendance with his daughter and somehow the cops know he’s there and are working to catch him while he tries to get out undiscovered.

Additionally, Trap doesn’t waste any time letting us know exactly what is the case. We’re going to be introduced to Cooper (Josh Hartnett) and his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue), who are going to a concert of someone named Lady Raven (Saleka Night Shyamalan, our director’s daughter), who is our Taylor Swift equivalent in the film. She’s the current hot pop singer, and Riley is one of her bigger fans.

What we’re going to learn early on is that the authorities have somehow learned (and this is eventually explained) that a serial killer called The Butcher is likely in attendance at the massive concert. Because of this, a trap has been set—once the show begins, an FBI profiler (Hayley Goddam Mills) moves in with a team of 300 police to entrap our killer. The identity of our killer is not going to be much of a mystery. We’ll learn eventually that Cooper is The Butcher, but if you don’t figure this out in the first few minutes, you should really learn some media literacy.

Really, that’s it. The first half of the movie is the concert, where Cooper attempts to figure a way out without tipping his hand or revealing to his daughter that he is a horrifying serial killer. The second half of the film involves his escape from the venue and the pursuit of him, which naturally includes attempting to take the singer hostage and use her fame to his own advantage.

Honestly, I’m disappointed in the what this turned out to be. The idea of a serial killer operating in a huge venue with thousands of potential victims is a lot more interesting than a serial killer trying to get out of a venue without being caught. There’s a natural tension here, but it feels very manufactured. It also feels very much like a vehicle created at least in part for Shyamalan to advertise for his daughter’s career as a singer.

I desperately want to like the movies that I watch, and while there are certainly times when I know that I’m going to watch something less than good, I still want to enjoy my time in front of the screen. I want to like Shyamalan’s movies, even if he’s about 50%-ish for me. I had hopes for Trap, and they were not close to fulfilled. This was predictable, and for me, this is the biggest sin that a movie can commit.

I guess what bothers me the most about this is that the character we are following—the guy who is supposed to be so smart that the authorities cannot catch him overplays his hand so obviously that as the plot opens up, the reality of him as the serial killer in question is so obvious to anyone in the area that it defeats the entire purpose of the film.

I’ve watched dumber movies, but it’s been some time since I watched a movie that was this dumb that purported itself to be a smart thriller.

Why to watch Trap: Hey, look—Josh Hartnett is still around.
Why not to watch: It’s dumb and predictable.