#MovieReview: Shyamalan strikes again with unpredictable thrills in Trap

Trap is a better idea than it is a movie, but you will likely enjoy watching nonetheless.

That has become something of a trademark from writer/director M. Night Shyamalan (Sixth Sense, Signs), who is frankly an interesting movie idea machine.

An unusual but enticing premise, an excellent second act and a last third that cannot quite wrap up the high concept in a satisfying way has been the story of Shyamalan’s last few efforts.

Trap, like A Knock at the Cabin and Old is no different. But while that may seem like a complaint about Shyamalan’s style, the takeaway should rather be that there is no one making movies quite like him in the current sanitised cinema environment. He is able to command enough of a budget to make large scale movies with recognisable stars, but is also allowed to make interesting production decisions without too much studio interference.

Take Trap, for example, which is centred on a music concert that has been secured by the FBI in order to track down a serial killer they believe is in the audience.

It is such a smart place to set a thriller, where every member of the public we see in the back of a frame might be ‘The Butcher’, or indeed the killer might be right in front of us.

With 30 000 people stuffed into a stadium like sardines, the implications as to what could happen should ‘The Butcher’ feel threatened are endless.

Any time we see a new part of the building, a potentially horrifying new scenario emerges, which has the effect of keeping the audience thoroughly engaged in the story.

I also appreciated how the trailer sets the scene for the movie but includes nothing taken from the last hour of screentime, so it should be truly surprising if it is not spoiled for you.

And while my earlier criticism about the third act feeling out of touch with the first two holds true, there is no denying Shyamalan takes some real swings and it is never boring.

Watch it to support genuinely original filmmaking and to enjoy an awesome central performance from an actor on the way back to stardom, Josh Hartnett.

Rated 13 for Language and Violence.

3/5.

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