2024’s most divisive thriller is finally streaming on Max. Here’s why you should watch it

1 week ago

An aged female shins a flashlight successful Trap.

M. Night Shyamalan is 1 of nan astir divisive filmmakers of nan past 30 years. After achieving breakout occurrence successful nan precocious ’90s and early 2000s pinch acclaimed thrillers for illustration The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and Signs, his estimation began to sour pursuing nan releases of mostly captious failures for illustration The Village, Lady successful nan Water, and The Happening. In caller years, Shyamalan has knowledgeable a late-career resurgence penning and directing modestly budgeted, high-concept thrillers (see: Split, Old, Knock astatine nan Cabin). He remains, however, 1 of Hollywood’s astir polarizing directors.

You request look nary further than nan reception to his latest film, Trap, for impervious of that. The serial slayer thriller was some embraced and tossed speech successful adjacent measurement erstwhile it deed theaters successful early August. Some were speedy to stock their praise for nan film’s method craftsmanship and perfectly sounded lead performance, while others dismissed it based connected Shyamalan’s consistently stiff speech and its absurdly twisty 3rd act. Now, respective months later, Trap is officially streaming connected Max.

You shouldn’t fto nan film’s divisive reception extremity you from giving it a chance, either. For each of its flaws, it is simply a refreshingly gutsy thriller — 1 that isn’t acrophobic to return immense swings aliases beryllium playful. Shyamalan has ne'er made different movie, successful fact, that feels arsenic keyed into his ain Hitchcockian consciousness of acheronian humor. Once you recognize and judge that, Trap becomes a full batch much nosy and entertaining.

A subversive cat-and-mouse thriller

A man is being tortured successful Trap.

Trap follows Cooper Abbott (Josh Hartnett), a firefighter, husband, and begetter to 2 kids who secretly moonlights arsenic a merciless serial slayer known arsenic “The Butcher.” When Trap begins, he has already kidnapped his adjacent unfortunate and has taken to intermittently monitoring his hostage’s position done a camera provender connected his phone. Cooper is forced to measurement distant from his murderous concealed life, however, successful bid to travel his unsuspecting daughter, Riley (Ariel Donoghue), to an Eras Tour-esque performance for her favourite popular star, Lady Raven (Saleka Night Shyamalan).

It’s only soon aft Cooper has arrived astatine nan concert’s arena venue that he realizes he has unknowingly walked into nan mediate of a — you guessed it — trap. The FBI someway received connection that nan Butcher would beryllium successful attendance astatine Lady Raven’s concert, and its agents are intent connected interrogating each man astatine nan venue who fits nan Butcher’s profile. All of this is economically and methodically established wrong Trap‘s opening 15 minutes, and nan movie past spends nan remainder of its runtime search Cooper arsenic he tries to make it retired of nan performance without catching nan FBI’s attraction aliases alerting Riley to nan truth of what’s going on.

An aged female stands adjacent a woman connected a stretcher successful Trap.

Cooper’s efforts to flight justness beryllium to beryllium alternately brilliant, chaotic, nerve-wracking, and deeply, darkly funny. Unlike astir of Shyamalan’s films, Trap doesn’t revolve astir 1 cardinal twist. The thriller alternatively mines each of its intermezo and daze worth retired of trapping its protagonist successful a seemingly inescapable business and simply pursuing him arsenic he tries to break retired of it nonetheless. It’s a subversive return connected a emblematic cat-and-mouse thriller — 1 that knowingly and explicitly forces its assemblage to mobility their ain allegiance to Cooper arsenic he proves himself progressively ruthless and, therefore, much deserving of nan destiny he’s trying to avoid.

A Hitchcockian construction

Josh Hartnett stands covered successful reddish ray successful Trap.

Trap has little successful communal pinch Shyamalan’s different films and much pinch cockeyed Alfred Hitchcock thrillers for illustration Rope and Suspicion. Its relationship to Rope, successful particular, is undeniable. Like that 1948 classic, which follows 2 killers who determine to hide a assemblage successful their surviving room earlier hosting a meal party, Trap places you successful nan aforesaid shoes arsenic a murderer and forces you to watch successful tense worry arsenic he tries to hide himself and his criminal change ego nether a bladed veneer of normalcy. Shyamalan is, however, moreover much of a sensationalist than Hitchcock, and truthful he pushes his latest communicative building up to nan very brink pinch respective third-act twists that agelong nan already loose credulity of Trap‘s story.

Not each of nan film’s near turns travel crossed arsenic smoothly arsenic Shyamalan would like. The director’s half-hearted attempts to psychologize his charming slayer besides onshore pinch repeated thuds. Like Rope, though, Trap has a pitch-black comedic tone that shines done successful its last 20 minutes and makes it easier to judge immoderate of its much absurd leaps successful logic. Shyamalan remains 1 of nan astir daring and skilled ocular craftsmen of his procreation arsenic well, and he directs Trap pinch a level of playful artistry that is contagious.

A man looks down himself successful Trap.

This is Shyamalan astatine his astir fun, carefree, and macabre. His latest offering is an ingenious thriller that doesn’t return itself, its characters, aliases its communicative excessively seriously. It holds your attraction truthful easy that you almost return nan trade connected show passim it for granted. That’s OK, though. Trap doesn’t want to do thing much than entertain you, and it effortlessly does conscionable that. It’s a awesome measurement to walk a Friday aliases Saturday nighttime — particularly now that it is streaming conscionable successful clip for Halloween.

Trap is streaming now connected Max.