Trap

I must appreciate the fact that the trailer only shows less than half of the film, so the whole second half is hidden from the viewer and we have no idea what will happen and where the plot will go. Next, I have to point out Josh Hartnett's acting, this is literally his one-man show and a showcase of an A-list performance, backed by M. Night Shyamalan's experience (though not always successful or apt), all brought to perfection. But the rest of it is just so... well. The first half on the show is fantastic, the gradual revelation of who the killer is, how he's going to get out and all these detours from the main line to the surrounding corners looking for an escape were all great, suspenseful and most importantly entertaining. The problem comes in the second half, which I would have taken without reservations if it made even a little bit of sense. Unfortunately, it gradually snowballed and piled nonsense upon nonsense until gradually the limits of what I could tolerate began to overflow. There was no shortage of suspense here either, for the most part, but the incredible "twists and turns" made it a very weak finish to a ending that was itself also silly. Unlike many others, I'm not yet dismissing Shyamalan and I still like quite a lot of his stuff (Knock at the Cabin), but here I have to admit it's a drastic downward slide from him and his attempt to make an "ordinary" thing may well have backfired as he wanted to make so much that he lost himself in it and got swallowed up in it. Pure average, the rating of which will depend on your tolerance level... That said, the film still has something to it, it's just probably not as intense as everyone expected from the trailers. (08/03/2024)

A cute premise, original and enjoyable, plus an extremely likeable Josh Hartnett as a laid-back dad at a concert of his daughter's favourite singer. Pity about the few hallucinatory coincidences that take the edge off the thrilling cat-and-mouse game. Still, a very satisfying M. Night Shyamalan, who this time was mostly having fun and promoting his daughter's singing career. What a great dad. (09/01/2024)

This movie is a trap. The trailer and premise hint at something that the viewer only receives in a limited fashion, and instead of suppressing doubt, it only escalates. Despite the potential, the character psychology is treated superficially, and there isn't even a moment where the firefighter-butcher drops a wedding ring on the floor and realizes why no one has caught him yet. I'm not as enthusiastic about Hartnett; he often overacts, much like he did under the parachute with Kate Beckinsale. I also disagree with the crucial idea from the FBI profiler specialist. Among the dads who have to listen to hours of squealing from fanatical teenage girls over glitzy consumer pop music, there might not be just one with murderous tendencies... (09/03/2024)

The subject matter alone, involving a charismatic main character who is also a disturbing killer attempting to escape from a trap set for him in a public place, is unique in the genre. And Shyamalan meticulously wrote and directed his search for a way out, even credibly crafting his psychopathic perception and reaction to unexpected stressful situations. And not just in the trap, but also – and primarily – outside of it. Josh Hartnett was interestingly cast in the lead role and performs ably.  The absence of major Shyamalan-esque points doesn’t matter, as the film works adeptly with suspense and swings with unpredictable twists. The protagonist’s abilities are exaggerated in places, but not to the point of losing the viewer’s trust or being laughable. The references were also pleasing, such as Shyamalan in the role of a worker at the concert in which his real daughter Saleka is singing (and whose father would surely like for her to attain similar fame) and the inconspicuous logo of the “The Watchers” on one of the buildings in the background, which happens to be the name of a film by his other daughter, Ishana, released a few months before Trap. (08/12/2024)

I'm not really into Saleka Shyamalan's shallow pop for teenage girls, but who I absolutely enjoyed was the fan-tas-tic Josh Hartnett. Every look he gave, every twitch of his face, was completely telling of the momentary situation he was in. Great performance. And M. Night Shyamalan proves once again what he's been strongest at his entire career. Namely, coming up with a completely original, unorthodox concept that he has always alternately managed to follow through with. And that's true here too. The first half, about the search for an exit from the encirclement, is a great piece of screenwriting, but unfortunately, after the twist in the middle and Lady Raven's involvement in the plot, it stopped being interesting. Firstly because of the haphazard logic and also because Shymalan's daughter simply doesn't have the acting skills to pull this off. But all things considered, after the terrible Glass, when I had already broken my stick over Shyamalan, I actually liked his last two films quite a bit beyond my expectations. It's not a return to the limelight, more like a light echo of his great beginnings. (09/03/2024)