What’s it about?

A father taking his daughter to a pop concert notices a suspiciously large police contingent and realises something big is going down.

What did we think?

Say what you like about M. Night Shyamalan – he is a king of concepts. His general premises are intriguing and it’s hard not to get caught up in the idea of many of his movies, including this one. Unfortunately even a cool concept needs follow through to be good and in TRAP, it’s just not there.

Josh Hartnett delivers one of his best performances in years and manages both earnest and creepy in his intense portrayal of both a father and a serial killer (I’m not really spoiling it – it’s made abundantly clear very early on). It’s just a shame he stands out more because of the surrounding cast than solely because of his own ability. While casting his daughter as the pop queen seemed fine when she was limited to singing and dancing in the background, the decision backfires when she’s called on to act. Because sadly she can’t. And it’s painful. Add that to the wooden, cliched dialogue and delivery of the elderly FBI profiler, and you’re left with a lot fo cringing that constantly pulls you out of the movie.

And that’s before we get to plot holes and actions that defy belief and reality. The film could have survived story problems OR bad acting but certainly not both.

Shyamalan really needs to come up with the idea (he truly excels there) but then work with someone who will iron out the edges and make it coherent. Until then we’re going to be stuck with these movies so full of potential that just disappoint.

Hartnett and Ariel Donaghue can hold their heads up high but this is the movie that Admiral Ackbar warned you about.