Pushes credibility, but still a fun watch
Summary
Trap does get a little crazy at times and I found the first half wasn’t quite as tense as the second. Josh Hartnett gives an entertainingly deranged performance as a serial killer whose world is crashing down around him. It’s a fun one to see on the big screen too just to get immersed into the impressive concert scenes.
Plot: A father and his teen daughter attend a pop concert only to realize they’ve entered the center of a dark and sinister event.
Review: M. Night Shyamalan can be very hit or miss with his movies, but I’m always intrigued to watch them as he is never afraid to try something new. Trap has been getting hyped for some time, but the reviews this far have mostly been middling.
I’m a big fan of Josh Hartnett ever since his debut in Halloween H20 and the idea of seeing him as a serial killer sounded far too interesting. He is, as you’d expect, the best part of the movie, however, personally my favourite aspect was the fact it was filmed here in Toronto and Hamilton. That is clearly The Rogers Centre made to look like an arena in Philadelphia and the interior scenes were filmed in Hamilton where we saw Sebastian Maniscalco live a few years ago.
Trap is exactly what you’d expect from the trailers with Hartnett playing loving father Cooper who takes his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to see her favourite musician Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan) in concert. It doesn’t take long for Cooper to realize there is a lot of police activity at the concert and he finds out that they are all looking for him… they just don’t know it yet. What ensues is a game of cat and mouse and we wonder what wheeze Cooper will come up with next to get out of there.
This is a fun movie that delivers what it promises, and the second half really ratchets up the tension; it does stretch credibility at various points with a few unlikely scenarios and as good as Hartnett is I feel like he could have been more subtle at times. I’m not entirely sure I bought him as a serial killer as he has a bit too soft a face and occasionally you feel like he’s trying a bit too hard. He’s still clearly having fun and it’s sort of like Dexter where we’re almost rooting for the bad guy to get away even if his crimes are terrible.
The idea of this all taking place during a concert is a fun concept and something we haven’t seen before which is what keeps you interested. There are a few twists and turns, but no huge shocks like we used to get from Shyamalan.
Overall, Trap is elevated by a solid performance from Josh Hartnett and even if it does get a bit crazy, it manages to remain tense and unpredictable right up until the end credits.