Trap – Movie Reviews by Ry!

Trap – The Butcher and the Father: A Concert of Twists

In the world of film, there are many ways to grip the audience.  From the heartfelt moments of romance to the adrenaline rush of action, that grip can be a mesmerizing thing.  No matter the ‘grip’, there still must be a pathway of logic.  If this breaks, circumstances can hinder if the thrill was worth the chase.  In this review, I look at the latest suspense/thriller from a well-known director.  Within a unique premise, the journey falls within a catalog of obvious genre beats.  Even for the predictability, Trap is an intense thriller within the mind of a psychopath. 

When a father and daughter head into a concert for the ages, they learn that everything is not what it seems.  Through the lens of a different kind, they must figure out the truth … before ‘The Butcher’ gets away.  With storytelling, the obvious nods to a situation can break the experience.  Every so often, when a director subverts these expectations, it can breathe new life into a traditional ‘thriller’ foundation.  With this film, M. Night Shyamalan (Writer/Director) presents a situation of unbelievable feats that become a reflection of character and moments.  In the beginning, we are introduced to Cooper (Josh Hartnett) and his daughter, Riley (Ariel Donoghue), who embark on a father-daughter adventure to a pop concert.  After a series of conversational moments, joy turns into suspicion when Cooper realizes the heighten security of the event.  This leads to him (through convenient plot devices), learning that the concert is a setup to catch the infamous serial killer known as The Butcher.  From this point, the journey turns into a series of reflective moments of thrills that puts the concert experience into turmoil.  Within these moments, Shyamalan breaks scenes through the idea of a singular perspective, bending the obviousness through an atmospheric intensity of the individual.  This spin helps push through the clichés, creating some unique paths that bring about a hardiness upon the film’s foundation.  Through the main characters (and others), you get an up-and-down journey that showcases thrills through a lens of obvious tropes and unexpected detail.  Even for coincidences, the manner of the intensity becomes a situation of … will the killer meet his untimely end? 

Through each moment of undeniable cause, it parallels an unmasking truth for the concert goers, especially Cooper and Riley.  With each moment, these two must face the uncertainty of the situation, realizing what details matter the most in their own lives.  This reflection of self helps elevate our main characters, centering the tension through the eyes of the father/daughter aspect.  As the layers start to reveal upon ‘The Butcher’, it leads into a third act that mixes character moments within an obscure use of the ‘cat-and-mouse’ motif.  As things come to head, we head into an intense climax … but an ambiguous epilogue (that will either make or break the experience).  Trap is a thriller that bends originality within a subversion of the obvious.  If you are a fan of the director, suspense or thriller like films, this is one for you.  I say this can be a fun time at the theaters.      

Full Score – 3 out of 5 (Theater Discount)