Trap review: Josh Harnett carries M. Night Shyamalan’s summer blockbuster that goes absolutely nowhere

M. Night Shyamalan’s latest summer blockbuster Trap had fans hyped for its release with its thrilling, fast-paced storyline and action-packed trailer, but was it worth all the noise?

Spoilers ahead...

Starring Josh Hartnett, who has been largely off our screens for the last few decades, Trap tells the story of The Butcher: a serial killer the FBI are desperate to catch after he’s been slaying people all over town.

With the FBI only having a profile to go by - which could literally describe any suburban dad in the area - they create a ‘trap’ to bring him in.

Using his daughter’s love for mega popstar Lady Raven, they set up a concert and lockdown the venue as soon as everyone is inside

Thousands of fans, hundreds of agents and one serial killer willing to cause absolute chaos to save himself from a lifetime behind bars. Sounds pretty exciting, right?

Well…

As someone who isn’t much of a fan of Shyamalan’s movies, I had zero expectations going into this.

Sure, the trailer looked like a wild ride, but how many times have we been burned by a well-edited trailer, only to find out that it included all the best bits and the actual film has absolutely nothing else to offer.

I know Shyamalan has some classics like The Sixth Sense and Split, but he also has films like The Happening and Knock at the Cabin on his roster – so, you can’t blame me for being sceptical.

Trap was, in fact, less disappointing than the latter, however, the whole film was lukewarm in its delivery.

Hartnett gave a solid performance as the charismatic father and seasoned psychopath leading a double life, but the rest of the cast were inconsistent, detracting from the momentum Hartnett was working overtime in the first half to create.

I don't know why you're smiling Josh. (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Thrillers with serial killers at the heart of their story have been very well done in Hollywood over the years. From Se7en and Kiss the Girls to Hannibal and Silence of the Lambs, it’s a genre you can rely on for some bloodthirsty scenes, high body counts and a shocking twist – all of which were absent from Trap.

Outside of *that* fryer scene and the odd watered-down assault for a serial killer of that ‘calibre’, Trap didn’t have me picking my jaw up from the floor, gripping the edge of my seat or hiding behind hands in disbelief.

Shyamalan’s attempt at creating a serial killer movie where no killing actually takes place wreaks of fake genius. And although the absence of killing adds something new to the genre, it definitely doesn’t add anything exciting.

The writer-director served us a serial killer with mommy issues, who is now being hunted by a female profiler who somewhat resembles his mom, and does not lean into the classic cat and mouse tropes that makes these thrillers so… thrilling.

I hope they aren't discussing the sequel. (Getty Images / Mondadori Portfolio)

An oversight I can only imagine occurred because they spent too much time on the realism of the concert rouse, and not enough time on the plot.

Just in case you still very much want to go to the cinema and make up your own mind about whether or not Trap is worth the hype – and your money – I won’t spoil the *twist* for you.

Shocking it may not have been, but I will say that it was pleasantly surprising end to an otherwise mid film that had all the tools to knock it out the park, but instead decided to walk away from home plate at the last minute.

Trap wrapped up with a lot of unanswered questions and left itself open to the potential for a sequel, so maybe we’ll have those questions answered in part two. But the question is, will anyone care by the time it gets here?

★★★☆☆