by Jonathan Klotz
| Published
M. Night Shyamalan has been the butt of jokes ever since “I See Dead People” became the hottest movie in 1999, but with his latest film, it's clear that the director is starting to laugh along with the audience. old It made it a bit unclear whether the humor was intentional or just his over-the-top sense of style over substance, but this year, Shyamalan made it clear that he was in on the joke. trap It is, on the surface, a psychological thriller, but it also has a satirical tone and a sense that everyone involved knows how stupid the film is, and as a result, it is one of Shyamalan's best films.
Father of the series
Fresh from his well-received role OppenheimerJosh Hartnett plays Cooper, a Philly firefighter who takes his daughter (Ariel Donoghue) to Lady Raven's (Salika Night Shyamalan, M. Knight's daughter) party that turns out to be a trap to catch The Butcher, the notorious serial killer famous for his abandonment. Piles of body parts all over the city. It's not a spoiler that Cooper is the Butcher, a revelation that would be in any other third film.Act turning point, but in trapit's a revelation in the first act, and the movie is all the better for it.
Once Cooper realizes that he is trapped inside the arena, trap Starts playing like Black comedy Version A Flintstones An episode where Fred has to be in two places at once while lying to Wilma (or for other '90s kids, Boy meets world episode where Cory and Shawn watch Vader in a wrestling match during Topanga's party). A dutiful father, Cooper tries to keep his daughter happy while also trying to break free in ever more absurd ways, from sneaking onto a roof to pushing a woman down the stairs. The thrust of the star is the precise moment when it finally becomes clear, M. Night Shyamalan He winks at the camera.
Hayley Mills, star of the 1961 film Parent trap (Get it? Cooper is a parent….in a trap….), playing an FBI profiler who helps deliver the most ridiculous moment in an already ridiculous movie when Cooper gets his hands on the police radio. When he reaches for the fire alarm to create a distraction, Mills explains how the Butcher is likely creating a distraction by pulling the fire alarm. Thanks for trap I've already made it clear that this isn't a film that should be taken seriously, it's a stupid moment that works.
Nothing in this movie should work
I wish the actual trap sequence existed trap It was a little longer, actually, only because Hartnett did a great job of slowly coming apart at the seams while trying to pull himself together for his daughter. When the film ends, the film shifts its focus to Lady Raven and Cooper's home life, which still contains some amazingly stupid but delightful moments, the limo ride being a highlight for me because of them. Looney Tunes Logic, but it lacks the ridiculous, frenetic stakes of a concert. Just as the reveal of the killer would be the highlight of another film, the escape from the titular trap is just another moment in this film and not the actual ending.
The weakest part of trap She is Saleka Night Shyamalan as Lady Raven, an amalgamation of Taylor Swift and lady gagaBut that's because she's primarily a musician, and this is her first acting role. With that in mind, she does a great job, and her seeming slightly out of place throughout the entire film helps enhance the character's performance, but in any other film, her delivery would immediately take you out of the story. Under her father's guidance, the awkwardness, like Cooper's absurdist humour, somehow works.
A unique experience
trap It is a film that divided audiences and critics, receiving a rotten rating of 57 percent Rotten tomatoes; This is a movie that you will either love or hate. I really enjoyed it, mostly because of Josh Hartnett, who somehow elevated the script by chewing up every bit of scenery in a way that even a gothic horror film wouldn't have been able to do. Penny appalling. No film in recent memory can match the manic energy, bizarre story choices, and off-kilter tone trap, Which makes it a unique viewing experience.
You can stream trap Today on Max.
