Trap

This is a concert movie for M. Night Shyamalan’s daughter that happens to have a nonsensical thriller tacked on.

The problem with a writer-director that is associated with specific gimmicks is that audiences will come to expect the gimmicks. Shyamalan’s gimmicks are two: He will appear in a speaking part that completely pulls the audience out of the movie and a twist near the end of the film.

This time around, his appearance in the movie is not too bad. I sat through the movie trying to figure out what the twist was and when it came, it wasn’t really a twist, rather it was a long exposition answering a lingering question throughout the movie. It was for all intensive purposes pedestrian.

The only good thing about Trap is Josh Hartnett who is fully committed to the character he’s playing – even if at times the character is achieving things that are wholly unbelievable. Hayley Mills is rather good in the film. And lastly, there are some neat and subtle visual tricks that are done with reflections in mirrors and cookware.

Where’s the thrill and suspense in Trap? It’s completely missing, except for maybe a short bit with a concert vendor. The movie is rather dull.

Movies often ask audiences to suspend their disbelief. When that ask becomes too much, the writer and director is then abusing the audience’s good will. Shyamalan’s script for trap does the later and kills all good will with quite a few situations where Cooper (Hartnett) is able to escape.

This is not one of Shyamalan’s best films, it’s not even one of his good ones. I was not impressed.

Streamed on Max.