Verdict: 3.5/5
Tense is the obvious word to describe M Night Shyamalan’s new thriller starring Josh Hartnett and Ariel Donoghue.
We get thrown pretty much straight into the action: apparent devoted father Cooper (Hartnett) is taking his daughter Riley (Donoghue) to the biggest show in town: a concert by Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan).
But as the sounds of screaming girls and raised mobile phones take over, Cooper notices something odd: the heavy police presence.
It doesn’t take long for Cooper to discover what’s really going on: a diligent and careful serial killer has made a mistake. The police know he’s at the concert, and even Lady Raven herself is on it. The trap to find a killer has been set.
For the next 90 minutes or so, we watch the cat and mouse game unfold between police and bad guy. Will the serial killer escape the concert, or will the cops get their man?
For much of the film ‘Trap’ keeps you pretty strongly engrossed. It’s not quite edge of your seat thrills, but it does raise the heart rate a little throughout.
And I would have rated it much higher if it wasn’t for what could only be described as a rather farcical final 15 or so minutes, where things really go into raised eyebrow territory.
M Night Shyamalan loves a twist, and he delivers one pretty early in ‘Trap’, with the final surprise not all that surprising at all, to be honest.
It’s a decent movie with a strong plot that you won’t be disappointed seeing on the big screen. You’ll just wish it finished before jumping the shark.
See this movie at Hoyts Penrith.
Troy Dodds
Troy Dodds is the Weekender's Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia's leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.