Contents: A father and his teenage daughter attend a pop concert together, only to discover that they are at the center of a dark and ominous event.
© Warner Bros. DE
Trap: A film that misses its potential
Trap is a film that has the potential to be great – a hidden gem that never quite shines. It seems as though deep inside this film lies a scathing, satirical comedy or a dark, claustrophobic thriller just waiting to be unleashed.
Imagine if Trap had gone the route of bitter satire, ironically combining a fascination with serial killers with a hysterical worship of pop culture. Or imagine if the film had used its dark atmosphere to create an intense thriller set entirely in a single location – a chamber drama of suspense and thrills.
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Perhaps Trap could have even followed in the footsteps of M. Night Shyamalan’s best, with a twist that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats until the very end. But none of these paths are consistently followed. Instead, the film struggles with its own identity.
The story, which certainly has potential for high tension, gets lost in a strange mixture of horror and incomprehension. But instead, Trap a slow, unfocused crime thriller that confuses its audience more than it captivates them.
Josh Hartnett in TRap No Way Out © Warner Bros. DE
Pop star romance instead of excitement
A central weakness of Trap is the unfortunate decision to cast Shyamalan’s daughter They don’t stop as a pop star on the level of Taylor Swift. The character of Lady Raven seems like an exaggeration of a superstar whose charisma and knowledge of social media take on almost superhuman traits.
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Unfortunately, Saleka is overwhelmed in this role – neither her acting nor her presence justify the exaggerated, god-like adoration she receives – even when she is not exactly strutting around on her eerily empty stage.
The real confusion, however, comes from Shyamalan’s early decision to abandon the concept of a mega-trap in one location in favor of a series of smaller incidents that our psycho villain Cooper (Josh Hartnett) has to escape from, which makes the viewer increasingly untrustworthy and robs the film of any dynamism.
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Hartnett’s futile efforts
Nevertheless, there are bright spots. It is Hartnett He is to his credit for making a convincing anti-hero whose true nature is revealed within minutes of the film (not to mention the trailer). He plays his character with the necessary intensity and conviction.
The film’s central trick – borrowed from Hitchcock’s Psycho, of course – is to get the audience on his side in his spectacular escapades, despite the fact that he is a brutal murderer. Shyamalan seems to have great fun when Cooper pushes a girl down a flight of stairs to create a distraction and later causes an explosion in a kitchen that douses a young woman in hot oil.
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As if he wanted to tell the audience: “You still want him to get away? Even now?” But that is not enough to raise the story to a level that is actually gripping, exciting or innovative. However, Shyamalan must also be credited for Hayley Mills – the former child star from “A twin rarely comes alone“ – as an FBI expert who lays out the pitfalls for this special father.
Trap No Way Out © Warner Bros. DE
Conclusion: A film that remains in the shadow of its own premise
In the end, Trap a film of missed opportunities. The cool, at first glance exciting premise is ruined by a confusing plot and a lack of focus on the essentials. Josh Hartnett does his best to breathe life into his role, but ultimately director Shyamalan seems more interested in convincing us of his daughter’s pop star qualities than in telling a gripping story.
Movie Rating: 4 / 10
