TRAP

Trap has been dubbed "A new M. Night Shyamalan experience" and there's plenty of ways you can take that. The filmmaker is known for the shocking twists and turns he incorporates into his films yet, with Trap, all seems to have been revealed from the film's marketing. What probably would have been the twist of the film in Shyamalan's early career is now the selling point of the film, utilised in all of the trailers and posters. Does knowing this beforehand though make this feel like a new experience?

Cooper (Josh Hartnett), a serial killer dubbed "The Butcher", joins his teenage daughter at a concert for pop star Lady Raven (Saleka Night Shyamalan), an event he realizes is a trap set by police to catch him.

Shyamalan posed the concept of a film based around an album performed by his own daughter, Saleka, to her and ran with it. Not since Purple Rain, in his own words, had he seen anything like his new film Trap - an album played throughout the film albeit in the setting of a concert. Throw into the mix a serial killer wanting to give his daughter an experience she'll never forget, who suddenly finds himself caged in by armed police forces intent on catching him, and you have a recipe for an intensely exciting film that thrives in the hands of Shyamalan.

Together with cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, who shot the dynamic Challengers earlier this year, Shyamalan delivers a thriller that keeps you guessing as to how exactly Cooper will get out of the hole he finds himself in. The visuals really do add another thrilling layer to proceedings - Mukdeeprom quickly becoming one of the most exciting DP's in the game - ensuring the film is at least never boring. There are of course surprises along the way so best to go in without much knowledge at all to watch Shyamalan work his magic.

It's not perfect by any means though, Shyamalan falling into a trap he's done a few times with some of his recent films. There's just something about the dialogue he writes that can make or break his films and it nearly harms the end product here, Shyamalan opting to go down the incredibly silly route that, while fun to watch, feels like it's in the totally wrong film at times. When a concept is this ridiculous, I guess you just have to roll with it though and hope it doesn't totally derail the film.

At the forefront of Trap, there's an incredibly magnetic lead performance from Josh Hartnett. Trust me when I say you've never seen him like this before. He has all the charm and charisma you'd expect but there's a sinister nature - obviously with him being a serial killer - that Hartnett revels in bringing to life with Cooper. It feels odd to be rooting for the killer here but Hartnett's performance will make you do just that, he's so damn likeable in the role. Without spoiling anything, it's great to see that Ariel Donoghue and Saleka Night Shyamalan get more to do than marketing would lead you to believe, the latter outshining her dad on the acting stakes, who just can't help but throw himself in there like a well-timed jumpscare.

While not reaching the greatest heights of his career, Trap is a solid thriller from M. Night Shyamalan that is nowhere near as bad as some of his efforts. Honestly, if someone tells you this is as bad as The Happening or The Last Airbender, serious questions need to be asked.

Verdict: ★★★½