directed by M. Night Shyamalan
If you’re like me and you avoid watching trailers, then I’m sorry, but my recommendation will be a little spoiler for you. I will not spoil anything big or definitely not the ending, but since I hadn’t seen the trailer, I had absolutely zero idea about the film I was about to watch. I just knew it’s by M. Night Shyamalan and Josh Hartnett is starring in it, which was enough to make me see it. In the first 15-20 minutes of the film we get the general idea, which is sort of a plot twist, so if someone had told me that before watching the film, I’d have been pissed off. But me is me, so I let you decide. If you’ve seen any trailer of “Trap”, you won’t be surprised by what’s coming in this post. Otherwise, I’d recommend you to just watch the film first. Have you made your decision? For those leaving – bye, bye, for those staying – get ready for my frustration mixed with fascination. So, the story begins with Cooper (Josh Hartnett) taking his teenage daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to her huge idol’s concert – Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan – fun fact, the actress is M. Night’s real daughter, and in the film he plays her uncle. Just in case you wanted to mix things up even more, Shyamalan is there to please you). Everything looks adorable, you know, father-daughter time, sharing the moment, having fun at a concert and all that. However, Cooper notices that the whole arena is full of police officers and security guards. I mean, obviously, some security is necessary during such event, but the number of them was quite disturbing. Additionally, from time to time you can see they are asking some adult men out to talk to them. At first I thought it’s about getting rid of adults so the organisers can trap all the teenagers and, I don’t know, manipulate them with some mysterious powers – total abstraction. But then Cooper takes a toilet break and things get clearer. I know how it sounds, but if you haven’t seen any trailer and you’re still reading this post, that’s the part when we understand what it’s all about. This whole concert is a trap for Cooper, but the FBI don’t know it yet. They are trying to catch the “Butcher”, a psycho who has killed and chopped numerous people. And right there in that toilet we learn that the Butcher is named Cooper, and he’s a loving father who likes to play with a cleaver after hours. We all have hobbies, right? Anyway, now we know who the FBI need to catch, but we’re following Cooper trying to find a way out. And here comes my frustration – another brilliant idea that has been slightly wasted. Shyamalan’s mind fascinates me and I really support him as a director. However, I feel like he should team up with someone who can clean his screenplays, because he adds pointless elements or things that are too naive to handle. For example, the mother of Riley’s friend – totally unnecessary character that brings nothing to the story. Then, getting the info about the trap from the T-shirt guy – come on, nobody’s that naive. Generally, the way all those officers and agents act is strange. Are they really that inefficient in the US? THAT much? A man just says he’s an employee and they tell him who their FBI boss is? While they’re trying to catch a MAN who’s incredibly clever and they know he’s trying to trick them again? Give. Me. A. Break. However, the general idea was amazing and it worked – I was supporting the bad guy in the story. I wanted him to outsmart everyone and escape, and I guess that was the goal. Or maybe I’m not being fully objective because I’m a big fan of Josh and his acting, so I’ll adore every piece he’s starring in. Still, he did a great job here and the final scene made me smile a lot, because I can tell they watched some Hitchcock and got inspired… no more spoiling, I promise. To sum up, I understand why many people might be disappointed by this film, but I tried to look deeper and focus on the positives, and somehow ended up enjoying those 2 hours, so I’m not feeling like rating it any lower. I still respect Shyamalan and his extraordinary mind, but I’m crossing my fingers for his collaboration with other screenwriters in the future. And let’s hope he continues working with Josh, because, damn, we need more of this man on the screen.
My rating: 7/10
S.
I have nothing to watch 