Trap (2024)

Synopsis

Father and daughter time. Cooper Abbott (Josh Hartnett) has snagged tickets for his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to a concert by mega singing star Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan). Plenty of cute schtick as they do father/daughter type stuff on their way to their seats. Cooper’s a jokester, always with the funny line. He holds her on his shoulders so she can see Lady Raven emerge from her tour bus. Standing in line, Cooper consoles Riley about the heartbreak of being ghosted by what she thought was her closest friend.

But something’s not quite right. Cooper’s constantly stealing glances toward events at the periphery. He’s spotting more security and police than you’d expect, even for such a high-profile gig. Cops are escorting the occasional concert-goer away, even ones who didn’t seem to be causing a ruckus. What’s that all about? Cooper’s taking it all in, curious.

They find their seats. Lady Raven appears. Riley can’t stop screaming with delight at the performance. Cooper is looking nervous.

This is a movie written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan after all, so you’re just as much on edge as Cooper. What’s up? What’s the twist?

Skip It

It’s a shame. M. Night Shyamalan is usually pretty good at laying a few clues until he unleashes some shock and awe at the end. Not here. He tips his hand about Cooper early. Strain as you might to find some other nuances, the clues are too explicit. This lapses far too quickly into a typical cat-and-mouse game, and we’re here to watch as Cooper finds ever more clever and manipulative techniques to elude the forces arrayed against him. It’s not exactly a bad movie, but we expect more than mediocrity from Shyamalan. The “twist” he tacks on at the end is not just unexpected but comes off as an afterthought from a filmmaker who’s too tired to do better.

Saleka Shyamalan is not exactly bad, either, as the pop star Lady Raven. She’s a singer by profession, and her musical numbers are fine. But she’s overmatched in her later acting role as the diva who turns out to have a heart of gold. This was her first acting gig, and if the director had been anyone other than her father, it’s unlikely she would have snagged this particular role.

Ariel Donoghue is delightful as Riley, an actual teenager playing a believable teen who is obsessed with her pop star idol, despondent over losing a friend, and increasingly uneasy about dad’s increasingly loopy behavior. She throws herself into the part with an enthusiasm and abandon that’s refreshing to experience.

But it’s all Josh Harnett. He has only a few brief scenes as the ultra-cool dad before the curtain slides back and we get a peek at his true nature. Trap is worth watching only if you’d like to admire how Harnett’s bland expressions gradually morph into something genuinely but not over-the-top creepy. In the final frame, if he doesn’t remind you of Anthony Perkins in Psycho, it’s because you’ve never seen Psycho or you dropped some popcorn and missed it.