Trap (2024)

You’ll learn this in the first act anyway, so here goes: the proud dad at the pop concert is the serial killer the FBI locked the whole arena down to catch. Trap is M. Night Shyamalan’s most ridiculous setup in years and, for its first hour, his most fun. Josh Hartnett plays Cooper, a Philadelphia firefighter who brought his daughter Riley to see Lady Raven and now has to slip past a building full of cops. Hartnett is a blast, cheerful dad on the outside and nervous calculator underneath. The trouble starts when the movie leaves the arena. Each escape gets sillier, and the final stretch stacks up so many turns that the tension leaks out. Saleka Night Shyamalan, the director’s daughter, plays Lady Raven and gets more to do than you’d expect. It holds a 56% on Rotten Tomatoes and made $83.7 million worldwide on a reported $30M. A 5.4 because Hartnett is terrific and the script runs out of exits before he does. $6,319 says at your next concert you count the cops before you find your seat.

What works: Josh Hartnett is a charming, unnerving lead, and the arena lockdown makes for a tense, playful first hour.

What doesn’t: Once it leaves the concert, the escapes get sillier and the last act piles on turns until the suspense is gone.

Who it’s for: Shyamalan fans who enjoy his goofier side and anyone who wants to watch Hartnett have the time of his life.