Trap
for some violent content and brief strong language.
Reviewed by: Pamela Karpelenia
CONTRIBUTOR
| Moral Rating: | Offensive |
| Moviemaking Quality: |
|
| Primary Audience: | Adults Young-Adults Teens |
| Genre: | Crime Mystery Psychological-Thriller |
| Length: | 1 hr. 45 min. |
| Year of Release: | 2024 |
| USA Release: |
August 2, 2024 (wide release) DVD: November 5, 2024 |
This story was inspired in part by Operation Flagship, a sting operation in which disguised law enforcement arrested 101 wanted fugitives at a convention center, having invited them under the pretense of gifting them free NFL tickets.
On the loose serial killer dubbed ‘The Butcher’ is also a family man who loves his children
About murder
About death
Police set a trap to capture him
Master manipulator
Murderer who knows how to appear like a “normal” guy and blend in
Father daughter relationship
| Featuring |
Josh Hartnett … Cooper Hayley Mills … Dr. Grant Alison Pill … Saleka Shyamalan … Lady Raven Marnie McPhail … Jody’s Mom Ariel Donoghue … Riley Vanessa Smythe … Tour Manager See all » |
| Director |
M. Night Shyamalan |
| Producer |
Blinding Edge Pictures Marc Bienstock See all » |
| Distributor |
 Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company |
This concert is a Trap!
“Trap” is suspense thriller, written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan (“The Sixth Sense,” “Lady in the Water,” “Devil,” and “The Last Airbender”). He has a very distinctive way of telling his stories, and this film is no different. It worked for me and was immersive.
The film opens with a dad, Copper (Josh Hartnett) and daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue), heading to one of the the biggest concert of Riley’s favorite singers, Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan). What appears to be just a typical overhyped teen concert, is quickly revealed to actually be an elaborate trap to catch a notorious serial killer simply called “The Butcher.”
The acting is satisfactory overall, and Josh Hartnett is truly the standout. His portrayal of a father with dark disturbing secrets is very compelling. The Lady Raven pop star character is director M. Night Shyamalan’s daughter, and the songs performed at the concert were all written by her.
Now to the objectionable content, for a film about a brutal serial killer, there is no gratuitous violence. This film is rated PG-13, so there is language including 1 f***, a**, G*d-d*mn. Crime scene photos are shown, as well as a kitchen accident. A woman is shown drunk and is injured. A man who is kidnapped is shown bound, and another is drugged.
As for the biblical context, there is something to be said about celebrity/idol worship. This pulls people away from God. Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them and lack proper fear of the Lord.
This film also deals a lot with lying, deception and disturbing secrets. While it may be easy to spot the bad guy in the film, it’s true that we all fall short, and the proper comparison is not with other people, but with a Holy God, and we are all guilty of sins and need salvation through repentance and faith.
I think “Trap” is a well done film, whether you are a fan of M. Night Shyamalan specific artistic film style or not.
- Nudity: Moderate
- Wokeism: Moderate
- Vulgar/Crude language: Moderately Heavy
- Profane language: Moderate
- Violence: Mild
- Sex: Mild
- Drugs/Alcohol: Mild
- Occult: Minor
See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.
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