Trap (2024)-- My Take On the Movie With Spoilers !

Plot: Cooper takes his daughter Riley to see a Lady Raven concert only to find that the entire arena is a trap for a serial killer known as The Butcher.

Quick Movie Review

Trap could have been a good movie, except it is a one-hour movie about a concert with a serial killer story that serves as a background.

It appears that M. Night Shyamalan made the movie to showcase his daughter's talents.

While she may have a nice voice, she lacks any acting skills, which is why the movie simply fails to impress. Saleka Shyamalan is given a parallel role to Josh Harnett, and had she worked on her acting skills, the movie could have been a lot more absorbing.

But that's not all that is wrong with Trap.

The script is weak. The concept is there, but every scene rushes past you, leaving little time to cause an impact. Each plot turn is resolved quickly, and there is never a sense of tension developed because Cooper manages to solve every challenge in the blink of an eye.

You just know within the first five minutes that Cooper is going to win at the end because of the way his luck shines rather than him actually using his prowess to tackle each problem.

But at least Josh Harnett's acting is earnest, and that helps you hold a little bit of interest.

TRAP Movie Plot

The movie opens with Cooper driving his daughter Riley to Lady Raven's concert. She is excited and sings along to her songs but also lets on that she has not been getting along with her friends, especially Jody.

Cooper tries his best to cheer her up and is a goofy father to his teenage daughter.

At the concert arena, everyone is waiting for the artist to show up and create a big fuss for her. Lady Raven gives her fan a smile and wave before entering the concert hall.

Before heading inside, Cooper runs into a scalper but doesn't indulge him. Cooper and Riley enter the arena and find small TVs playing Lady Raven's songs as well as a couple of teens performing her dance moves.

Riles partakes in them, too. As they snack on pretzels, Cooper once again brings up her friends and comments that Jody may be jelly of her. Riles forbids him from using the word jelly.

As they head inside the concert hall, Cooper notices that there is a lot of security around. He excuses himself to go to the washroom but instead of using the facilities, watches a video on his phone. It is of a man in a basement. His name is Spenser. He is Cooper's captive.

As Cooper leaves, he runs into Jody's mother, who wants to try to fix things between her daughter and Riley. Cooper shrugs her off and walks away.

Cooper joins his daughter and tries to have fun, although he doesn't really get the appeal of the singer. She isn't singing any interesting songs and doesn't get the hype.

During the break, Cooper and Riley head to buy some Lady Raven merchandise, and unfortunately, the last t-shirt in a small size is already booked by the girls who have been standing in the line for a long time.

Cooper encourages Riley to let the other girl have it. The vendor, Jamie, promises that he will hold on to one t-shirt from the new stock that will come soon. He also praises their family values, but Riley walks away.

Cooper calls Jamie to the side and questions him about the added security. Jamie, being a blabbermouth, reveals that the police have set up a trap for The Butcher, a serial killer who chops people up. Cooper tries to smile through it, but it is clear that he is also flustered by this information. Jamie also tells him that there are cops stationed in every inch of the place except backstage.

Cooper finds Riley, who is distracted by the other fans. Cooper notices a woman swaying by the stairs and reckons that he can use her for distraction to get the police away from the exit so he can make his escape.

And so, off goes the woman, tumbling down the stairs. Cooper makes an excuse about going outside for a while but then notices more police officers approaching the exit. He changes his plans and goes back inside with Riley.

Lady Raven calls another singer, Parker Wayne, onstage to sing with her. He enters from a lift that emerges from the floor beside Cooper.

Cooper eyes the area under the floor and tries to get Riley to join him in finding out what's under there. Riley calls him weird and says that she doesn't want to do that. She lets on that she hopes she is chosen for the Dreamer Girl segment because then she can go backstage.

Cooper begins his scheming and is disappointed to see the floor close.

Cooper excuses himself yet again under the pretext of getting Riley some merch. He meets with Jamie, who tells him that there is some in the stockroom. Cooper offers to walk with him.

Jamie tells Cooper that he has been following the Butcher's work. Cooper is barely listening and watching the increasing number of officers and Jamie's swipe cards. Jamie is unable to get the box down from the shelf, and Cooper helps him, revealing his occupation is that of a fireman.

Cooper shows interest in just how the police plan to capture a serial killer. Jamie, who feels that Cooper can be trusted because of his profession, even goes ahead and tells him the code word given to every employee during the orientation.

At one point, Jamie even hands him the box cutter. Cooper is interested but doesn't use it. Jamie offers a free T-shirt to Cooper. Cooper then proceeds to steal Jamie's ID card.

He decides to use the card to look for exits and finds one door the opens. It is the employee break room where SWAT members are receiving instructions. Cooper pretends to be an employee and makes his way through them all. He manages to find sugar for the officers as well as doughnuts. Lucky him.

He leaves the room but not before stealing an unattended police radio.

Outside, he is practically accosted by Jody's mother, who wants to know when their daughters can meet. Cooper tries to blow her off, already agitated that the profiler seems to know details about him.

When Jody's mother begins to cause a scene, two officers look at them. Luckily, the scalper creates a scene and is apprehended. This scene gives Cooper the perfect excuse to compose himself and promise a pizza outing with the girls.

Cooper then plans to pull the fire alarm but hears the profiler instructing the officers to expect the serial killer to create chaos as a distraction.

Riley keeps wondering where Cooper has gone, and he keeps making lame excuses about either going to the washroom or forgetting his credit card at the T-shirt stand.

Desperate, Cooper walks by a fast food stand and sees the fries counter. He dumps two bottles of oil in the fryer and turns up the heat. An employee walks past, and the fryer explodes. Cooper dumps his jacket and puts on an apron.

Cooper heads to the roof but finds two officers upstairs. They question him, and he, of course, knows the code word as well as possesses the card the employees got during the orientation. The card was in the employee's apron. Luck strikes once again.

Cooper's story checks out as the officers confirm the kitchen incident. Cooper heads back and sees the employee being taken to the hospital, but he sees an older woman who looks at him with disappointment. She vanishes and is presumably his mother.

Cooper returns to the concert, and Riley comments about making new friends and wishing she could be the Dreamer Girl and go backstage.

Realizing that is his only way to escape, he goes to the staff member who happens to be the spotter and who also happens to be Lady Raven's uncle. He is actually M. Night Shyamalan,  Saleka's father.

Cooper makes up a sob story about Riley recovering from leukaemia and how she doesn't want to talk about her curse and how she managed to beat it.

Touched by his lies, the spotter goes to Riley and announces that she has been chosen.

Riley is ecstatic, while Cooper is relieved that his plan has worked. They are made to go backstage and wait for the segment.

Riley dances with Lady Raven while Cooper tries to keep an eye out for the profiler, Grant.

Later, as he sees Grant approach, he also notices a girl feeling ill. He catches her before she can fall and heads to the tent to get her some medical assistance.

The doctors tend to her while Cooper is his charming self. This wins more points with Lady Raven's assistant.

They are then taken backstage, where Cooper notices more security. He also hears Grant instructing the officers to check every male visitor.

Cooper goes into complete panic mode, and when Lady Raven comes to see them, he asks to speak to her privately.

She thinks he wants to talk about Riley's illness, but instead, he reveals his true self to her. He also tells her that if she doesn't help him, he's going to kill Spencer.

Lady Raven agrees to his demands but then asks Riley if she can see her house. Riley calls her mother, and of course, she agrees. Cooper is mad since he wanted to be dropped off and not let Lady Raven go to their house.

They head to the house, and Lady Raven meets Cooper's wife, Rachel, and son Logan. During the meal, Lady Raven instigates Cooper by bringing up the Butcher and how he has OCD and that his behaviour stems from how he was treated by his mother.

Cooper gets all riled up and rudely tells Lady Raven to leave. She instead asks Riley if she can play on the piano. Lady Raven begins to play and then asks Riley to join her. She then steals the teenager's phone.

Afterwards, she asks if they could take a selfie, but since Riley can't find her phone, she snatches Cooper's, who had his phone out to remind Lady Raven of what he will do to Spencer.

Lady Raven ran into the bathroom with his phone and locked the door. She uses the phone to talk to Spencer and ask for clues to her whereabouts. He reveals a blue door anda  broken lion statue.

Lady Raven goes live and asks her fans to help her. Someone instantly knows where that house could be. Police are called, and Spencer is saved.

Cooper manages to burst in and is pissed that she got Spencer free. He grabs Lady Raven and gets her inside a car. She pretends to be his mother since she knows that is the only way to get through to him. Cooper doesn't buy it, and when he opens the garage door, Rachel is standing outside with the kids.

Realizing his truth is out, he goes into the house while the SWAT team enters. Cooper empties a cupboard, but it is actually a secret passage to the neighbour's yard. He manages to get a SWAT uniform and break into Lady Raven's limo. He handcuffs her and starts to drive away, but as he enters the town, fans surround the limo just as Lady Raven breaks through the handle on which she was cuffed.

The SWAT also surrounds the limo, but Cooper finds Lady Raven's merch and changes his clothes. He manages to get out and pretend to be one of the fans. The SWAT shoots the tires of the limo and breaks the window, only to find a uniform on the seat.

Lady Raven goes to check on Spencer and hugs him. This is, thankfully the end of her role.

TRAP Ending Explained

Rachel is alone at home. Her kids have been taken to her sister's house, and she is advised to do the same. But Rachel wants to stay by herself for some time.

She puts on a kettle when the police leave when Cooper speaks up.

He reveals he knows Rachel was the one who tipped off the police. Rachel admits she found Cooper's behaviour strange at first and thought he was having an affair. But then she found the chemical smell in his clothes and realised it smelled more like a hospital. She followed him to one of his fake houses, where he kept his victims and planted the concert ticket to tip off the police.

Cooper isn't too happy, but she offers to give him some pie that she made for Riley to celebrate her good grades.

Cooper eats it but soon realizes it has drugs in it. Rachel asks him if it is the same drug that he used on his victims. She did find his equipment after all.

Cooper hallucinates about his mother when the police arrive and taser him. Cooper is taken outside, and his kids arrive just in time. They were supposed to be at Rachel's sister's house, but they somehow got the instruction to come immediately.

Riley hugs Cooper and cries. Cooper pretends to straighten the bicycle but takes out a spoke.

Once he is put into a van, he removes it and uses it to take off his handcuffs. Once freed, he laughs.

After the initial credits, there is a scene of Jamie sitting on the couch, watching the news about the Butcher. When he sees it is Cooper, he vows to never speak to anyone at work again.

The movie ends.

My Take On The Movie

Trap could have been a better and more entertaining movie if the focus was on Cooper and what turned him into Butcher, rather than show us that Saleka can sing.

Hopefully, a sequel or a prequel will elaborate on Butcher's story and answer questions that were left unanswered in this one.

Scare Scale: 2.5/5