Rating of
2.5/4
Trap - Review
Matthew Brady - wrote on 08/06/25
M. Night Shyamalan's Trap is an entertaining watch and M. Night's most memorable effort compared to his other two forgettable entries, Old and Knock at the Cabin.
However, the movie is also idiotic. While the premise has a strong hook, it has plenty of plot holes. The logic is very much movie logic, as all the events only happen in this universe.
I mean, this entire sting operation to trap a serial killer, known as the butcher, at a concert without knowing what he looks like, and the whole thing was on a hutch.
If they had known what he looked like, he would have been arrested immediately, and this would have been a short film.
I wonder if there's a chance this could happen in the Unbreakable Universe, where Cooper has superpowers that make things work out for him and make everyone around him dumber.
But despite all that, I still enjoyed it. I liked Josh Hartnett's performance, as he had a dark yet inhuman-like quality. The actress who plays Cooper's daughter, played by Ariel Donoghue, is also pretty good here.
I could mention and criticize the dialogue and how certain line delivery sounds odd, but at this point, I have accepted this as M. Night's style. I know The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable didn't have that, but those movies came out 20 years ago, and he hasn't returned. That is just his style now. It doesn't mean you have to like it. I'm still iffy about it, but it is what it is. However, in this instance, this writing style works for a character like Cooper, a serial killer who tries to blend in by acting normal while lacking emotional empathy and having a dark sickness underneath.
M. Night cast his daughter in the film to play the main pop star of the concert, Lady Raven, with original songs written by her for the movie. Surprisingly, the songs themselves are good and very catchy. She is also a great singer, too. Her acting, on the other hand, is not so great. Just stick to music, please.
Overall rating: While not quite a cat-and-mouse type of film, this one will keep you entertained and is more memorable than his previous two films. I will watch it when Shyamalan makes his next movie.
