Josh Hartnett’s Super-Fun Serial Killer Thriller is Leaving Netflix in Less Than a Week
Trap is more fun than some of its middling reviews would lead you to believe.
Have you seen Trap, M. Night Shyamalan’s dad-centric serial killer thriller starring Josh Hartnett?
If the answer is “yes,” then great! Then we have nothing left to talk about. If you have Netflix and want to watch Trap again, then you have just a few more days before it leaves the streamer’s library.
However, if you answered “no,” then why haven’t you seen Trap? Have you been reading negative reviews? Don’t believe them. Or, don’t believe a lot of them. Trap isn’t perfect, but it’s an incredibly fun thriller that anyone who has ever been a fan of M. Night Shyamalan and/or Josh Hartnett should check out at least once.
The story is about a dad, Cooper, who takes his teenage daughter, Riley, to a concert. Cooper notices an unusually large police presence at the event, and he soon finds out that the concert is being used as a giant trap for a notorious serial killer who the FBI believe will be in attendance. This is concerning for Cooper, because he is the serial killer they’re looking for.
Don’t worry, I didn’t just spoil the movie. Cooper being a hunted serial killer isn’t an M. Night Shyamalan twist, it’s simply the premise of the film. The twisty part comes into play as Cooper repeatedly tries to find a way out of the concert’s venue without arousing suspicion from law enforcement, and without exposing his secret life to his daughter. Cooper’s double-life is precariously balanced, and this concert is likely to bring both of his lives crashing down.
Josh Hartnett stars as Cooper, and he’s fantastic in the role. Charming and sinister in equal measures, Hartnett carries the movie even when it starts to get ridiculous. Ariel Donoghue is Cooper’s daughter Riley, and M. Night Shyamalan’s oldest daughter, Saleka Shyamalan, plays singer Lady Raven whom Riley idolizes.
M. Night Shyamalan has previously stated that his movies often reflect where he is in his life, so, judging by the overall tone of Trap and the fact that Saleka is a prominent member of the cast, M. Night is definitely in his “dad-thriller” era of filmmaking.
Hopefully by now I’ve convinced you to give Trap a watch. But if you want to watch it on Netflix, your last day is Tuesday, June 10th. After that, it looks like the only subscription-based streaming service it will be on is Max.
