Trap: An Intriguing Thriller That Descends Into Silliness (Blu-ray)
The Film:
Last year, writer/director M. Night Shyamalan came the closest he's gotten to making a decent film in the last 20 years with "Knock at the Cabin." It was an intriguing little thriller that had been sufficiently engaging for the most part, with fine performances and a plot that had you curious as to what would happen next, but which ultimately fell flat on its face in the end due to Shyamalan's completely unnecessary changing of the original conclusion. This year he returns with the simply-titled "Trap," a thriller that's a lot more grounded in reality, or at least tries very hard to be. After so many fumbles over the last two decades, could this finally be one that gives us a worthwhile experience once again?
The premise of the film is rather simple. Cooper Abbott (Josh Hartnett) is taking his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to a Lady Raven (Saleka Night Shyamalan) concert as a reward for getting good grades. We quickly learn that Cooper is actually a notorious serial killer known as "The Butcher," and that this entire concert is merely a trap that has been set to capture him. With tons of armed security making sweeps and covering just about every exit, as well as a famed profiler (Hayley Mills) leading the search, Cooper must use every bit of cunning he has in a desperate attempt to escape.
If nothing else, Shyamalan has presented a rather intriguing scenario with "Trap." With nowhere to run, it becomes fascinating to see Cooper search high and low for a way out of his current predicament, causing distractions here and there, slipping into areas he's not supposed to be, all in a desperate bid to find a way out that's not crawling with security. To make matters more complicated, he has to do this while his daughter attends the concert, and without making her too suspicious as he keeps going off on his own. Indeed, for the first half of the film, we have a tightly-contained, engaging thriller that, much like Shyamalan's previous film, has you wondering where its captivating story is going.
Unfortunately, the second half of the film is a completely different matter. Obviously I won't go into any detail so as to avoid spoilers, but this half of the film goes into some rather silly directions that strain credibility quite a bit. It's even fair to say that there's a bit of a running gag repeated throughout this section that will likely have you rolling your eyes, all leading up to a final couple of minutes that are nothing but ridiculous nonsense. "Knock at the Cabin" may have had a problem with its ending, but it's pretty much the entire second half of "Trap" that needed some serious re-working.
That said, it's not really that bad of a film. The first half is a pretty solid thriller, and while the second half does feel tonally different as it descends into silliness, it still manages to be mildly entertaining even as you're chuckling and scoffing at it. It's just a shame that Shyamalan wasn't able to keep up the more serious & engaging nature of that contained first half, which no doubt would've had a far better chance of making the film compelling all the way through. In the end, because of that questionable second half, we're ultimately left with yet another disappointing entry in his filmography that doesn't quite hit the mark.
Video/Audio:
"Trap" comes to Blu-ray in a 1.85:1, 1080p High Definition transfer of excellent quality. The movie was shot on 35mm film stock, giving it a somewhat darker, duller look, but the picture remains perfectly clear throughout its entire runtime. The Dolby Atmos-TrueHD audio is fantastic, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and music in excellent quality. Overall, Warner Bros. has done a great job in both areas for the film's physical home debut.
Special Features:
Setting the Trap: A New M. Night Shyamalan Experience (4 Minutes): A very brief look behind the scenes of the making of the film.
Saleka as Lady Raven (5 Minutes): A featurette that focuses on Saleka Night Shyamalan's character.
Deleted Scenes (3 Scenes, 6 Minutes)
Extended Concert Scene: Where Did She Go (3 Minutes)
Conclusion:
M. Night Shyamalan's "Trap" offers up an intriguing scenario & a compelling first half that has a killer desperately trying to find his way out of a sticky situation, but unfortunately the second half descends into quite a bit of silliness that will have you rolling your eyes as the story spirals off into some rather ridiculous directions, ultimately resulting in yet another disappointing entry in Shyamalan's filmography.
Score: 3/5
Available on Blu-ray starting tomorrow.
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