'Trap' is so stupid, but so funny.

M. Night Shyamalan's Bedtime Stories

A good bad movie is only possible if it's unaware of its flaws. Arguably, Trap's biggest mistake is revealing Cooper as the killer from the start. The movie would have worked much better had this been kept secret, allowing the audience to piece it together. Knowing Cooper is the killer leaves us with a film without suspense or thrill. Say what you will about the Unbreakable trilogy, but at least it was captivating. If you expect a Shyamalanian twist, Trap will disappoint you deeply.

Instead, Trap is entertaining purely because of how absurdly the plot unfolds and how stupidly the characters act.

The story revolves around father Cooper Adams (Josh Hartnett), who takes his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to a concert by Taylor Swift-esque pop star Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan). Cooper is perturbed by the large police presence, which we quickly learn is because he's a notorious serial killer known as “the Butcher.” The FBI, with the help of profiler Dr. Josephine Grant (Hayley Mills), uses the concert as a trap to apprehend him.

SPOILERS AHEAD

The police are trying to catch Cooper with very little to go on, just vague descriptions. Their solution to find this killer? Randomly pulling generic-looking white men from the audience, without rhyme or reason, for further questioning. Meanwhile, our protagonist serial killer shambles around, making suspicious moves without so much as a second glance from the thousands of cops at this elaborate concert/sting operation.

Early in the film, Cooper convinces his daughter to let another girl buy the last small t-shirt. The vendor, Jaime, is so impressed by this act of kindness that he quickly warms up to Cooper and divulges details about the sting operation. Later, when Cooper helps Jaime carry a heavy box, Jaime repays him by revealing the secret employee passphrase. A level of stupidity that doesn’t feel real even for someone with a deeply cynical attitude towards others.

In another instance, after stealing Jaime's ID badge, Cooper gains access to an employee break room where armed security personnel are being briefed about the Butcher. Cooper, pretending to be an employee getting coffee, literally pushes past them without raising suspicion. It's as if the entire security team has been struck with collective blindness and incompetence.

This kind of plot contrivance and character stupidity continues throughout the film, and it's unintentionally hilarious. Cooper repeatedly finds himself in situations where he should be caught, yet somehow slips away due to the sheer ineptitude of those around him. He's portrayed as a serial killer version of Liam Neeson from Taken. While Cooper is charming and intelligent, he's not THAT charming or THAT intelligent. The film's attempts at tension fall flat because the audience is constantly baffled by the characters' ridiculous actions. Instead of being on the edge of your seat, you're left laughing and shaking your head in complete disbelief.

Trap feels more like an extended Key & Peele or Tim & Eric's Bedtime Stories comedy sketch than a serious Hollywood film. It's set in a world where the only possible reason Cooper gets away with his crimes is that everyone else lacks common sense. I found myself rooting for Cooper to evade capture, curious to see how far he could push his luck. I found myself hooting and hollering throughout the movie, watching Hartnett's character wriggle out of jam after jam.

The cinematography is decent. There were no glaring problems with how the movie was lit or shot. Nothing that stood out to me or anything I had a problem with. The editing was also decent; again, nothing about it was bad or noteworthy. For all his flaws, Shyamalan is at least competent in those departments. The soundtrack revolved around Lady Raven's musical performances. Saleka Shyamalan's music is decent but generic, and I couldn't help but wonder if the movie wasn't Shyamalan's attempt to try and give her daughter's singing career more exposure. One note I will make about the set pieces is that they felt cheap and unrealistic for the setting. The concert hall in which the Lady Raven concert takes place feels incredibly small and cramped for what is supposed to be a huge teen idol singer. Several set pieces felt this way. I'm not exactly sure if Shyamalan was working under some budgetary constraints, but if so, it does show.

As for the acting, Hartnett was by far my favorite. His sunny, goofy dad persona worked well, and his attempts at portraying the calculated psycho underneath were... okay. Imagine the Key & Peele sketch “Flicker” for the dramatic, overcompensating performance that becomes almost comical. Donoghue's performance as the daughter is passable but forgettable. Saleka Shyamalan's acting left much to be desired. The movie gets a lot worse when it shifts to have more of a focus on her—which isn't so much her fault as it is the script—but it doesn't do her any favors either.

Shyamalan seemingly is going in a new direction, going for a different range of thrillers. He's not getting worse as a filmmaker, but more going through a transitionary period. In Trap, he's trying to look and explore the idea of fatherhood. Whether because of his own life or what he's interested in as a person and a filmmaker; it's hard to say.

Earlier, I mentioned how a good, bad movie is good when the movie doesn't know how bad it is. Trap is a good example of this concept. Even in the face of the absurdity of its plot and characters, its earnestness created comedic gold. Unlike some reviews I've read that suggest the film would have benefited from self-awareness, that is exactly what Trap has going for it. Its lack of self-awareness is its greatest asset. If it had tried to wink at the audience or lean into its absurdity, like the fucking dogshit that was Twisters (2024), it would have lost its charm and become an annoying slog. I would have left the theater pissed. Trap isn't even on the same level as The Room (2003), Birdemic (2010), or any of the Neil Breen films in terms of unintentionally funny thrillers, but Trap will undoubtedly remind you of them.

I don't recommend paying to see it. It's the kind of film perfect for a group viewing at home, where you can freely mock and enjoy its ridiculousness without feeling like you've wasted your money. It's the kind of movie where you find yourself laughing out loud at scenes and lines that were clearly meant to be intense or dramatic. Unless you've got both cash and time to spare, save it for a Discord streaming night with friends.