Trap

I'm not really into Saleka Shyamalan's shallow pop for teenage girls, but who I absolutely enjoyed was the fan-tas-tic Josh Hartnett. Every look he gave, every twitch of his face, was completely telling of the momentary situation he was in. Great performance. And M. Night Shyamalan proves once again what he's been strongest at his entire career. Namely, coming up with a completely original, unorthodox concept that he has always alternately managed to follow through with. And that's true here too. The first half, about the search for an exit from the encirclement, is a great piece of screenwriting, but unfortunately, after the twist in the middle and Lady Raven's involvement in the plot, it stopped being interesting. Firstly because of the haphazard logic and also because Shymalan's daughter simply doesn't have the acting skills to pull this off. But all things considered, after the terrible Glass, when I had already broken my stick over Shyamalan, I actually liked his last two films quite a bit beyond my expectations. It's not a return to the limelight, more like a light echo of his great beginnings. (03.09.2024)

A cute premise, original and enjoyable, plus an extremely likeable Josh Hartnett as a laid-back dad at a concert of his daughter's favourite singer. Pity about the few hallucinatory coincidences that take the edge off the thrilling cat-and-mouse game. Still, a very satisfying M. Night Shyamalan, who this time was mostly having fun and promoting his daughter's singing career. What a great dad. (01.09.2024)

The subject matter alone, involving a charismatic main character who is also a disturbing killer attempting to escape from a trap set for him in a public place, is unique in the genre. And Shyamalan meticulously wrote and directed his search for a way out, even credibly crafting his psychopathic perception and reaction to unexpected stressful situations. And not just in the trap, but also – and primarily – outside of it. Josh Hartnett was interestingly cast in the lead role and performs ably.  The absence of major Shyamalan-esque points doesn’t matter, as the film works adeptly with suspense and swings with unpredictable twists. The protagonist’s abilities are exaggerated in places, but not to the point of losing the viewer’s trust or being laughable. The references were also pleasing, such as Shyamalan in the role of a worker at the concert in which his real daughter Saleka is singing (and whose father would surely like for her to attain similar fame) and the inconspicuous logo of the “The Watchers” on one of the buildings in the background, which happens to be the name of a film by his other daughter, Ishana, released a few months before Trap. (12.08.2024)

This movie is a trap. The trailer and premise hint at something that the viewer only receives in a limited fashion, and instead of suppressing doubt, it only escalates. Despite the potential, the character psychology is treated superficially, and there isn't even a moment where the firefighter-butcher drops a wedding ring on the floor and realizes why no one has caught him yet. I'm not as enthusiastic about Hartnett; he often overacts, much like he did under the parachute with Kate Beckinsale. I also disagree with the crucial idea from the FBI profiler specialist. Among the dads who have to listen to hours of squealing from fanatical teenage girls over glitzy consumer pop music, there might not be just one with murderous tendencies... (03.09.2024)

The trailers for Trap were awesome and it was tempting to see two comebacks: M. Night Shyamalan and Josh Hartnett, but it only half came to fruition, unfortunately. The film is a bit too basic for Shyamalan, everything is quite clearly laid out, there are not enough surprises and, most importantly, it lacks the typical Shyamalan twist, which is probably the biggest disappointment. The concept with the killer at a concert is pretty cool, Saleka Shyamalan looks good and sings well, but nothing really happens and everything interesting is already in the trailer. It's not even as suspenseful, smart and intense as it seemed at first glance. But it’s not all is bad, Hartnett gives a decent performance as a psychopath and thankfully the film never gets boring, I just won't it film again for sure and streaming would have suited it better. Too bad there weren't some murders and a mind fuck twist. 55% (04.08.2024)