Trap (2024)

“That’s pieces dawg… she got sliced up like deli meat.”

The entirety of the film could be summarized into the headline, "Master Male Manipulator With Mommy Issues Continuously Escapes Justice Due to Unrealistic Circumstances and Lack of Logic." I think an alternative headline could also be "Do Not Trust Overly Nice White Men That Seem Like They're Compensating For Something." Seeing the trailers, my hopes for this movie were probably higher than they should have been knowing that M. Night Shyamalan also directed The Visit, Split, and Old; however, with The Sixth Sense and Signs, I thought maybe this would be one of the good ones — severely mistaken, but that's okay. Seeing this movie and the casting at the end credits, I truly would have believed the rumors that it was just a way of advertising his daughter's singing career. Regardless, I decided to see this for my birthday and wasn't expecting anything more than to be entertained, and that's exactly what I got, so I'm not sure how entitled I am to complain. 

The movie begins with a father taking his daughter to a concert, which I assume attempts to build what little bond the audience has with Cooper. Soon after, Cooper begins to act suspiciously, where we see that there is more to him than just being a "Girl Dad." I think that the movie could be split into two parts: the concert scene and the aftermath. The concert scene was quite interesting, I was not aware that the entirety of the film does not take place at a concert venue; I'm not sure if I'm happy or sad about this decision, as I was really intrigued by the premise of a thriller occuring solely at a concert. 

Cooper is constantly prowling around the premises with multiple S.W.A.T. team agents and officers around the venue. I found it highly unbelievable that such a giant, suspicious-looking man would be allowed to do some of the things he did, especially when the movie emphasized keeping an eye on all males during the event. Perhaps that would be the one word I'd use to describe this film: unbelievable, and not in a good way. Cooper is constantly trying to escape authorities, in which he does so in the most unrealistic ways. Again, I do not think this movie was trying to be revolutionary in the way it potrays the world, but it makes it extremely difficult to be invested in a movie where you know he would have failed his goal multiple times in the first thirty minutes. Regardless, it was entertaining to see the constant Cat-and-Mouse game that Cooper and the authorities played and the continuous hoops Cooper jumped through. I think the events that take place during the concert are made to build suspense, but ultimately, I just felt bored. I think the beginning, contrary to other reviews, was very slow. I found myself more invested in the movie during the final acts. 

Following the events at the concert, the film soon escalates to outside the venue. The aftermath continues the suspense and shows Cooper trying to juggle his "secret" and maintain his home life; in which the movie explicitly explains that Cooper actively separates his "killer" life and his "family" life. The aftermath and ending of the movie fell flat for me, although it was definitely more entertaining. Most of the "thrill" in this advertised-thriller for me came after what was advertised in the trailers, ironically. We are introduced to Cooper's family and his dynamics with them, in which, once again, we are attempted to build a bond with his family. If the movie was trying to invoke feelings of sympathy towards the family, that is difficult to do with characters that barely speak and we are hardly introduced to aside from "hey, this is my wife, and my two children who have no idea what I'm doing and I'd like to keep it that way!" Cooper insists that he wants to continue to play a prominent role in his children's lives and reasons this is why he is fueled with anger towards the conclusion of the plot, but it's hard to believe the "I care about my daughter so much, please, I took her to a concert and everything" when he's a serial killer; maybe don't be a mass murderer and I would believe that your chances of maintaining your family dynamics would drastically increase, but what do I know. 

The film also heavily showcases themes of obsessive compulsive disorder that we don't even conclude for ourselves and isn't even implied, but spoon-fed and explicitly told to us. While I think it was going for a "Look, we are so good at our jobs, look, we narrowed you down just by your OCD habits!" like some sort of over-dramaticized true crime show, it's a hard miss for me as someone that actually has it and most certainly would not stop an active arrest to fix a bicycle in my driveway. There is also the slightest hint of mommy issues, in which is another miss for me, because why does every white man serial killer have to have mommy issues? Perhaps we could have a film where a killer is a killer just because bad people exist. I think Cooper being a "normal" person who just does these things simply because he can would have been more horrifying, but again, what do I know. 

I would like to disclaim that I am not trying to come off as some pretentious movie reviewer trying to seek the approval of other self-proclaimed film critics. The movie was (somewhat) entertaining, which is all one could ask for on their special day, I'm just disappointed that the trailers made it seem so much better than it actually was. I think my dissapointment stems from the fact that this could have been so amazingly executed with the concert venue, logical and calculated serial killer, and minor yet predictable plot twists, but it wasn't. It could have been so much more than just another "man with mommy issues kills and gets caught," but it wasn't. 

Anticlimactically, my final thought is that the film over-promised and under-delivered. It was entertaining, it was a good watch for not having anything better to see in theaters, but it also could have been so much more than what it was. I don't regret seeing it in theaters and don't think it was a waste of my special day, especially when it was still an enjoyable film that I got to see with a friend, but I just wish I had left the theater thinking that it had put a spin on the modern-day thrillers by doing something different in having someone "trapped" and set up at a concert venue. It was a great opportunity, but was misssed. I think the overall takeaway from the film was it's a fun and average watch, if you really want to be a "Girl Dad" then don't be a serial killer, and, finally, don't trust an average man's repeated poor excuses when you have that funny feeling telling you something isn't right, and that goes for more than just dealing with a murderer at a concert.

HorrorAugust 7, 2024