Trap is a psychological thriller film set in the United States of America, that is set in 2024 and it depicts the masterful elements of directional skills of M. Night Shyamalan in presenting suspense coupled with intricate relations amidst characters. The cast of the film Includes; Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue and Sellaka Night Shyamalan, the movie features a serial killer with his daughter during a concert concurrently with a police blockade. The movie unveiled in New York on 24th of July 2024 and the theatrical release of the film in the United States was in Warner Bros. Pictures on 2nd of August 2024. Overall, while the film did not please everyone and received a lot of criticism it has grossed $25. 3 million across the world, this shows that Shyamalan was able to grab the attention of the public irrespective of the critics.
Plot Overview
The movie is actioned around Cooper Adams, a man who appears to be a good father, playing by Josh Hartnett takes his teenage daughter, Riley to a pop concert as a reward to her good performance in her studies. Still, it does not take long to realize that Cooper is not just a loving dad: he is also a savage murderer, the one called ‘The Butcher.’ At the same time, the FBI attempts to capture the killer and shut down the killing spree, Cooper tries to find his daughter and save her from the concert hall without revealing his real identity.
It rises to climax especially when Cooper takes advantage of the people around him, whereby he threatens , and coerces a pop diva named Lady Raven (Saleka Night Shyamalan) into assisting him escapes. The last scene of the movie takes place in Cooper’s house in which his wife Rachel, played by Allison Pill unveiled that she had been on the lookout for Cooper all this while and cooperated with the police in a stealth manner. The climax of the motion picture shows Cooper bow and bear down on the law enforcement agents, only to be apprehended but not subdued, therefore given the sense of insecurity as the main character becomes a criminal.
Cast and Performances
Josh Hartnett as Cooper does a good job playing the model family man and the hit man – they are two entirely different people in one body. Norton’s portrayal adds density to the character and thus the audience is repulsed yet can almost feel compassion towards the protagonist. Ariel Donoghue is equally good as Cooper’s teen-age daughter, Riley, although the mood of a teenager, who is unwittingly involved in her father’s sick games, is well portrayed. The woman, played by Saleka Night Shyamalan, effectively becomes the fifth player involved in Cooper’s brutal game of survival by being his Lady Raven. Other cast members who have offered good performances include Alison Pill and Hayley Mills; however, Pill’s performance as the wife who harbors strong suspicion with regards to her husband is exceptional.
Production and Direction
Most of the features that can be observed in Trap can be attributed to Shyamalan’s directions with focus put into the details and the way he constructed a mysterious atmosphere. Taking at that, it is worth mentioning that the film was based on true events with a special regard to the 1985 Operation Flagship. This element provides the gravity of the film’s plot and a connection to the real events that took place. It is therefore quite exciting to note that *Trap,* in contrast to conventional thrillers, comprises musical features informed by discussions with Shyamalan’s daughter, Saleka, also a composer of the film’s score. Arguably, the music that is part of the narrative’s diegetic acoustic context in the shape of music played on stage performs the function of furthering the film’s plot and evoking suspense.
The cinematography, which was supposed to be shot in 4:3 and changed at the last moment to 1. In the film, it hits 85:1 depicting the distressed and congested atmosphere of the concert as well as Cooper’s world. There were problems, such as shooting moving to Toronto due to the SAG-AFTRA strike during the movie’s production, however these issues did not eliminate the final outcome. Another noticeable element is the decision to shot on 35mm film which creates the feeling of the movie as a piece of a nostalgia with the raw materiality that is in line with Shyamalan’s vision of a thriller with the traditional approach to its making.
Reception and Critique
Trap was not overly successful after the critical release it managed to gain 53% approval on Rotten Tomatoes and has a Metacritic score of 53. This setting as well as the elements of black humor and the film’s eerie atmosphere were described as good; as was the protagonist’s work of Josh Hartnett. Nevertheless, plenty of film critics found that the storyline was rather unrealistic and unconvincing; therefore, Benjamin Lee of The Guardian expressed that the film never embraced one of the sides of ‘stupidity’ that might have been fun. Some critics such as the Vanilla Ice-toned Richard Lawson of the Vanity Fair magazine agreed with the cleverness of the movie’s premise but frowned at the way it was dismantled.
CP also split the viewers and, according to CinemaScore, it received the grade of ‘C+’, while PostTrak showed that 66% of the moviegoers had positive impressions. Nevertheless, Trap was able to find the desired audience among Shyamalan’s admirers, who found the humor in the film and loved the suspense of the action.
Conclusion
That’s why Trap is the type of movie that creates the atmosphere which is typical for all the films penned by M. Night Shyamalan – psychological thriller mixed with black humor. It is not something that is going to appeal to everybody especially those who are in it for the traditional like this thriller like this but as a slow burning character piece with excellent performances it has a lot going for it. Similar to any other Shyamalan’s creations, Trap is a memorable picture, which makes people comment on the plot and twists after the picture is over.
