the best thing is trap The idea is trap. In this film, written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, a man who took his daughter to a concert realizes that the entire incident was an elaborate trap designed to capture him . This man, who appears to be an ordinary father named Cooper, is actually a brutal serial killer nicknamed “The Butcher.” He will stop at nothing to not only escape this trap, but to make sure his daughter knows nothing about it.
Josh Hartnett gives one of the best performances of his career as Butcher Cooper. From scene to scene, we see Cooper transforming himself between two opposing halves. This creates great tension, and at times he almost echoes on screen, half wanting to kill someone, half wanting to be the cool dad to his daughter (Ariel Donoghue). Unfortunately, the rest trap There wasn’t the same level of energy or excitement. It’s fun and surprising, but lacks a level of fun that takes it to another level.
The setting is a Lady Raven concert, with the fictional pop star played by real-life artist Saleka Shyamalan. The director’s daughter, Shyamalan, helped plan the film with her father and composed all the music specifically for the film. On the one hand, this gives the character of Lady Crow some welcome authenticity. On the other hand, none of the songs are particularly catchy, nor do they have any noteworthy impact on the film. As a result, everything feels one-note. Pun intended.
There is also the fact that most trap Concert venues are located in a location, which also has its pros and cons. Shyamalan explores every area of the venue, making it feel like a place worthy of trapping The Butcher. However, whether he’s on the rooftop, in the locker room, buying coupons, or walking down the halls, it all feels very similar because it’s all the same place. It mirrors Lady Raven’s music in this way, and the two work together to make the film lag slightly behind.
Fighting this is an inherently interesting idea, with the audience simultaneously hoping the Butcher is caught but also curious how he escapes. Shyamalan throws everything he has into the character, but it’s clear that every so often a little nugget falls in that leaves his hand tilted: “There’s no way out, except backstage, of course.” Something like this. So, along the way, we knew where things were going but were still eager to see how it turned out. The thing is, we know The Butcher isn’t going to be caught within the first 20 or 30 minutes of the movie, so the stakes are essentially lowered, at least in the beginning.
However, this changes dramatically in the third act when the entire nature of the film itself changes. Obviously we won’t spoil it here, but once trap It became less about the trap and more about the character and it started to fly. You get a real sense that Shyamalan’s ideas are held back by guardrails and you wish the film was more about the ending than the beginning.
Anyway, the parts are there, trap Never get bored. Shyamalan just has a way of coming up with ideas that keep you on the edge of your seat until the truth comes out. This is helped tremendously by Harnett’s stellar performance, and of course, Shyamalan does have some tricks up his sleeve later in the film. therefore, trap Not up to the best of filmmakers (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Omen, Split) but far away, Far At his worst. If you’re a fan of his, or curious about the premise, you’ll love this trap A lot more than you can.
trap Now in theaters.
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