FRIGHT FEST: TRAP

 In Trap, Cooper Adams (Josh Hartnett), buys his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) tickets to a concert for her favorite artist, Lady Raven (Saleka Syhamalan). While there, Cooper notices an upped police presence and soon realizes that the whole thing is an elaborate trap set to snare a savage serial killer named The Butcher. Things are looking rough for Cooper, especially since he is actually the very serial killer the authorities are trying to catch. 

A simple, tight, mostly straightforward thriller (Don’t expect any twists). Josh Hartnett easily carries the proceedings and is the focus for about 90-95% of the film. His Connor/The Butcher is the most likable/charismatic sociopath since Dan Steven’s David in The Guest. Hartnett does a superb acting job, and makes Shyamalan’s occasionally silly dialogue sound authentic and natural. It doesn’t hurt that Hartnett has some serious DILF vibes throughout. He also has believable and sweet chemistry with Ariel Donoghue, who plays his daughter Riley (she’s adorable). Simply put: He’s phenomenal.

Shyamalan manages to perfectly capture the atmosphere of a live concert. Sayombhu Mukdeeprom is in charge of cinematography. He recently shot Challengers. He doesn’t do anything special or innovative here (the cinematography doesn’t really call attention to itself), but Trap is always visually appealing. The first 2/3rds of the third act has another character take center stage, and it’s here where Trap really starts to flounder. Luckily, the last 10-15 minutes manages to end the flick on a pretty satisfying note.

Allison Pill has a small role, but makes her screen-time count. Hayley Mills is memorable as Dr. Grant, the FBI profiler leading the manhunt. She’s great, but is fairly under-cooked. It feels like she should have been a bigger character. Jonathan Langdon is very likable in a supporting role as Jamie, a concert worker who befriends Cooper. Kid Cudi also has a cameo as The Thinker, another artist who performs with Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan) and has a big ego. He is a real jerk, but Cudi leaves an impression (and is almost unrecognizable).  As for Saleka Shyamalan as Lady Raven, well...she can certainly sing...her acting, though, leaves much to be desired. It doesn't help that Lady Raven is given no backstory or reason to be invested in the manhunt. We are also given no reason to care about her safety, either

Trap isn’t particularly great. It’s definitely a Shyamalan movie. That said, it’s still mostly solid and is a decent amount of fun. See it for Josh Hartnett, who is having a bit of a renaissance right now.

3 STARS