Trap

Trap revolves around Cooper (played by Josh Hartnett), who takes his daughter, Riley, to a concert by beloved pop artist Lady Raven. However, Cooper soon discovers that the concert is actually a trap set to catch him.

Trap Review

Josh Hartnett can’t seem to get a fair shake. After starring in 2001’s schmaltzy, melodramatic, and never-ending Pearl Harbor, he’s never quite been able to find a place for himself in Hollywood. However, after a surprisingly excellent turn in last year’s smash hit, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, one might be excused for thinking that things were looking up for the one-time heartthrob.

                   

This makes it doubly unfortunate that he found himself seduced into this ill-conceived mash of reject-dialogue nonsense written by someone who has apparently never interacted with another living human being. No doubt Hartnett was intrigued by the possibility of stretching his thespian stride over the dead bodies of the serial killer perfectly named for this creative black hole, The Butcher.  Yet, under Shyamalan’s direction, Josh struggles to find a balance between over-the-top cartoon and brutal and cunning monster.

Only adding to the tragedy is that Harnett shows signs of brilliance from beneath the weight of unnatural dialogue and interactions with performers behaving like aliens who have only studied humanity via streaming services. This is to say that very little, if any, of what’s wrong with Trap has anything to do with Harnett. That dubious distinction rests solely on M. Night and his casting director(s), though mainly on the former.

Whereas Hartnett is a strong enough performer and was given just enough material to find nuggets of humanity to emote, the rest of the cast is left with dialogue and situations that make one wistful for Lesley Headland and The Acolyte. That said, M. Night’s daughter, Saleka, who plays the pop star Raven and gets the lion’s share of the screen time after Hartnett, looks and sounds completely lost every moment that she is not belting out a vapid ear-drilling poptastrophe.

Yet, as dumb as the premise and as tedious as its many and more concert scenes might be (and they are), the first half of Trap is serviceable, thanks almost entirely to Hartnett. While he charismatically serendipities his way from scene to scene, discovering more and more of the FBI’s impossible plan, the film’s many weaknesses could be forgiven as those of a dumb-fun summer thriller. But like much of modern cinema, Trap doesn’t actually have enough of a story to fill its already truncated runtime, and it runs out of gas at the end of the second act.

This leads to a meaningless and flat conclusion with an almost palpable feverish desire to deliver a signature Shyamalan twist. The overall result is a movie that borders on so bad that it’s good.

Trap Drinking Game

Rules:

• Sip: Take a small sip of your drink.
• Gulp: Take a bigger drink.
• Shot: Take a shot or finish your drink.

When to Drink:

• Sip:
  • Whenever a generic pop song plays.
  • Whenever Raven talks to the audience.
  • When Josh Hartnett’s character, The Butcher, narrowly avoids law enforcement.
  • When someone talks directly to the camera in a closeup shot.
  • Whenever the daughter says her dad is acting “weird” or “strange.”
• Gulp:
  • When one of The Butcher’s victims is viewed via a smartphone app.
  • When a twist or surprising moment happens (especially if it feels forced).
• Shot:
  • When someone performs a particularly cringe-worthy performance.
  • Whenever you feel the movie borders on “so bad it’s good” territory.
  • Every time M. Night Shyamalan appears on the screen.

Bonus Round:

• Finish your drink: If Josh Hartnett has a moment where he shines despite the dialogue, delivering a genuinely good performance.

Remember to drink responsibly and have fun!

WOKE REPORT

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