★★★
Unlike most M. Night Shyamalan films, Trap left no impression on me. Not good, or bad. Very “mid”, as they say. I have genuinely put off writing anything about this movie because I don’t know what to say. Trap is a really goofy and messy film, filled with everything you’ve come to expect from a Shyamalan film (good and bad). And yet, this might be his most Hitchcokian thriller in a way. It is also possibly his most personal film, tapping into his worst fear: being a bad dad. Making a concert film for his real-life daughter that doubles as a noose around his protagonist’s neck? Work-life balance ratcheting so tight it explodes? Too bad this movie is M. Night coming up with a great idea, but having no idea how to execute it, especially into a feature-length film. Maybe that’s why it made a better trailer than a movie, as there is really only enough material here for a very short film. M. Night stretches the concept past its breaking point, and by the end, you are left wondering how the movie is still going. The first 30 minutes are actually decent, but everything after goes all off the rails. M. Night is no stranger to making bad movies, but this one is just dumb. However, Josh Hartnett is at his peak and maybe the best actor to embrace M. Night dialogue since Bruce Willis. He gives an all-timer goofball performance but wow was I not expecting this to be Shyamalan’s most cynical, “did my career make me a bad father?” movie. I think that was the most compelling to me, as I never could get into the rest of the story, as M. Night would constantly write himself into a corner and then introduce some lucky plot convenience to save our characters over and over again. The film does look good and sounds good too. It may be a fun, goofy watch for some but it didn’t really work all too well for me. But gotta give the best dad award to M. Night Shyamalan this year for the way he has supported his daughter’s careers (producing one’s directorial debut with The Watchers, and the other’s music/acting career with Trap)
Film Info:
Kommentare