M. Night Shyamalan Takes on Mass Murderer in Giant Concert

A writer and director of clever and well-staged scripts, M. Night Shyamalan loses his vigor when faced with his criminal in “Trap.”

Going against the wave of serial killers of the 2000s, M. Night Shyamalan is now putting his own spin on a classic dark subject, including Seven (David Fincher, 1998) provided the benchmark. In Shyamalan, Josh Hartnett, as a killer, attracts sympathy, the film being staged from his point of view.

A variation of an author who found his audience on the crime thriller, Trapin theaters Wednesday August 7, without disenchanting, does not completely fulfill the contract.

At a concert in Philadelphia by R&B star Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan), a serial killer and his daughter infiltrate the 30,000 spectators, guarded by 300 police officers. Will he manage to escape from the delirious crowd?

The interest of Trap relies heavily on the dramatization that music brings to the evolution of the story. Shyamalan films his concert very well, his reconstruction shot in the crowd provides an original setting for a rhythmic suspense.

Summer is a great time for genre films. M. Night Shyamalan knows how to do it (The Sixth Sense), and its direction does not betray it, in the subject and its treatment. But its character, or its interpretation, does not captivate. His killer, Cooper (Josh Hartnett) does not seem to interest him and the dramaturgy is based on the search for an exit door which results in an impression of limited tension.

Beyond the character, is it the subject that doesn’t touch him? Yet he is the author. A stylistic exercise then? No doubt the desire to delve into a subject often identified with fantasy, which he likes, but closer to the detective story that he has never tackled. Not devoid of his usual qualities, M. Night Shyamalan nevertheless disappoints a little with Trap without making us head towards the exit.

Gender : Thriller/Horror
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Actors: Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills, Alison Pill
Country : UNITED STATES
Duration : 1h47
Exit : Wednesday August 7th 2024
Distributer : Warner Bros. Pictures France

Synopsis: 30,000 spectators. 300 police officers. 1 killer. Cooper, a father and serial killer, finds himself trapped by the police in the middle of a concert. Will he escape?