SPOILER alert: This article contains spoilers for the entire plot of “Trap,” now playing in theaters.
It’s hard not to love M. Night Shyamalan.
A singular filmmaker who is never afraid to take big bold swings, he has returned to theaters with “Trap,” a new serial killer movie featuring Josh Hartnett — with plenty of twists and turns.
The film opens with doting dad Cooper (Hartnett) taking his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to the concert of A-list singer Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan). Cooper immediately notices the increased presence of heavily-armed police security at the show. After chatting with too-friendly t-shirt vendor Jamie (Jonathan Langdon), he learns the whole show is a trap to catch a serial killer named the Butcher. We then learn that Cooper himself is the Butcher, as he privately checks security camera footage on his phone of his latest captive victim, Spencer (Mark Bacolcol).
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During the concert, Cooper slips away from Riley several times to try to find an exit, causing distractions like an explosion at a food vendor to give him opportunity to escape. Not finding one, Cooper runs into Raven’s uncle (a cameo from the director), and prods him into letting Riley take the stage during a special fan tribute during the concert.
once backstage, Cooper realizes there still isn’t a clear exit, so he tells Raven that he is the Butcher and threatens to kill Spencer if she doesn’t sneak him and Riley out of the venue in her limo. Raven decides to play the hero though and suggests dropping the father and daughter off at their house. When they all arrive, Raven offers to come in to meet the rest of the family, including matriarch Rachel (Alison Pill) and their son. Cooper is forced to act normally in front of his family until Raven steals his phone, locks herself in the bathroom and starts a livestream with her fans in order for them to locate and save Spencer.
Her fans free Spencer, but Raven is taken captive by Cooper, who has locked his family away in a bedroom. Yet they escape and stand in front of Cooper’s car as he tries to drive away with the singer, causing him to pause and reflect how the two sides of his personality have unfortunately met.
From there, the police arrive at the family’s home — yet Cooper dons a SWAT uniform and escapes to the neighbor’s house through a secret tunnel. Through the commotion, he’s able to get in the driver’s seat of Raven’s limo and she’s once again trapped with the Butcher. After a tense drive, Raven is able to slip out of her handcuffs and leave the car in a thick crowd of people. Unfortunately, Cooper grabs civilian clothes and leaves as well, headed back to his house.
Arriving home, Rachel agrees to speak to Cooper, and reveals that she tipped off the police that he would be attending the concert. An enraged Cooper realizes that Rachel has drugged him with his own nefarious drugs, and the police storm the house once more, tasing and arresting Cooper. As he says goodbye to his family, he sneaks off with a spoke from Riley’s bike, which he gleefully uses to unlock his handcuffs in the back of the paddy wagon. The end!
In a funny mid-credits scene, Jamie is seen watching TV and learns that, much to his shock, Cooper was the Butcher and he unintentionally helped him escape.
Although there are plenty of very convenient moments, “Trap” certainly has enough twists and turns to keep audiences engaged. And who knows: Perhaps there will be a Butcher sequel down the line…
