Summary
Although there’s plenty of mystery and suspense throughout M. Night Shyamalan’s latest movieTrap, the movie is missing one tradition of the filmmaker that could have made it way better. The film stars Josh Hartnett as Cooper, who is secretly the infamous Butcher, a serial killer in Philadelphia. While taking his daughter to listen tosongs at a Lady Raven concert, he learns the event is a trap set for him.The movie follows his continued exploits as he attempts to escapewithout thecast ofTrapfiguring out that he’s the murderer law enforcement is hunting down.
WhileTrapboasts unanswered questionsand mysteries right up until its final moments, the movie maintains plenty of suspense throughout as Cooper commits increasingly wilder acts in order to escape. This includes multiple turns throughout the movie, which surprises by turning Hartnett’s character into the antagonist near the final part of the film. However, despite the high levels of intrigue and suspense throughout the movie,there’s one staple of Shyamalan that’s missing.Without it, the movie wasn’t as exciting as it could have been by the time the ending rolled around.
M. Night Shyamalan Is Officially The Winner Of 2024’s Shyamalan Family Movie Battle
The Shyamalan family faced off in 2024 with Trap and The Watchers coming out, and the results of both movies make M. Night Shyamalan the winner.
Trap’s Major Twist Isn’t As Big As Shyamalan’s Previous Movies
The Twist Is More Of An Explanation Than A Surprise
At theend ofTrap, it’s revealed that Cooper’s wife, Rachel, was the one who tipped off police to the possibility that he was the Butcher. This eventually leads to his capture, but not before he’s able to pull a spoke from his daughter Riley’s bicycle, using it to uncuff himself in the back of a SWAT vehicle. This twist provides context for how the operation was set up in the first place, was also teasing apotentialTrap 2using Cooper’s escape as the basis. However,this twist is very different from those seen in Shyamalan’s previous movies.
Shyamalan’s movie plot twistsare a staple of his films, often recontextualizing everything that’s been seen up until that point. However,Trapis unique because its twist isn’t as big compared to those in movies likeThe Sixth SenseorOld.Instead, the twist in his latest film serves to offer context to otherwise unknown information, explaining how law enforcement knew Cooper would be at the concert. Because this twist doesn’t change much about the movie other than being some additional information, it’s not as impressive as other surprises from his previous works.
Trap Needed A Big Twist To Make Its Story More Exciting
The Movie Feels Like It’s Missing A Wild Story Turn
Even thoughTrap’s story works just fine as a suspenseful tale of Cooper trying to evade law enforcement, a bigger twist would have made the story much more exciting than it is. Compared to other Shyamalan movies,his latest thriller is much more simple and by-the-numbers, offering very little room for major surprises. The story is laid out right from the start, meaning any twist would have to be maintained within the confines of trying to catch Cooper because of his crimes as the Butcher.
However, despiteTrap’s concert venuesetting and straightforward premise making a major twist more difficult, one still could have been implemented to better the story and make it more unpredictable. Despite how little wiggle room there is for a shocking turn of events to transpire,a massive twist still could have been considered to make the movie much more dramatic in presentation.Although it’s unclear what this twist could have been, it still would have been to great benefit of the story overall.
What Should Trap’s Big Twist Have Been?
There Were A Few Ways The Film Could Have Presented One
Although there would have been great difficulty in maintaining the exact premise of the film,Trapstill could have showcased an unpredictable twist altering the film’s context by the end.One possibility would have been to reveal Cooper wasn’t the Butcher after all, but instead another criminal worried about getting caught as a matter of circumstance. There also could have been more direct ideas about law enforcement knowing who he was, perhaps through Lady Raven being more heavily involved with the sting than previously anticipated. Any of these ideas would have bolstered the unpredictability and drama of the thriller.
Even thoughTrapstill boasts a suspenseful story that will please anyone familiar with Shyamalan’s previous works, the movie’s lack of a really strong, shocking twist makes it feel like some potential was wasted. This is especially true because of the director’s track record, alongside the options the film could have taken to craft a more thorough surprise by the end of the film. However, there are still plenty of positives about the movie that keep it from being stale, even if there could have been some other ways to bolster its storyline.
Trap
Cast
Trap is a film by writer-director M. Night Shyamalan under his Blinding Edge Pictures label. The film is part of a deal struck with Warner Bros for him to direct and produce several films under their banner.
