--- title: "Trap: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/trap/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/trap" critics_score: 57 critics_reviews: 20 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Trap (2024): what the critics said Critics' score 57 from 20 reviews: 6 positive, 9 mixed, 5 negative. Most critics agree on one thing: Josh Hartnett. His performance as the doting father with a second life is praised almost everywhere, for its charm, its oddness and its willingness to be silly; only Screen Daily finds him uncompelling in the dual role. Beyond that the reviews scatter widely. The warmest notices, from The Playlist and The Wrap, call it one of Shyamalan’s most suspenseful films in years and admire the way it turns a familiar premise inside out. The largest group is lukewarm: they enjoy the first hour in the arena as a tidy cat-and-mouse game, then watch the momentum drain away as the plot grows contrived and the setting changes. The harshest reviews, led by The Guardian, call it limp and tension-free and object to the casting of the director’s daughter, a complaint Empire shares and Deadline flatly contradicts. The premise divides critics too: ridiculous but fun to some, simply ridiculous to others. ## Total Film — Ken McIntyre Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 6 August 2024. The critic praises the film as an intense thriller where Shyamalan moves away from his usual twists. The strong central performance and focused premise are highlighted as strengths. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/thriller-movies/trap-review/) ## Sight and Sound Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 10 August 2024. The critic finds it a taut puzzle box that challenges viewers' loyalties by aligning them with a split-natured protagonist who is both caring father and ruthless killer, ultimately confronting moral ambiguities in a family context. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/trap-m-night-shyamalan-tests-our-morality-this-twisted-family-thriller) ## The New York Times — Amy Nicholson Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 2 August 2024. The film works best in its first half as a mischievous thriller centered on a father and daughter at a concert. Hartnett's likable performance and the dad-daughter chemistry stand out amid the escalating tension. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/02/movies/trap-review.html) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 2 August 2024. The thriller's core irony is that family life is murder, with Cooper's double life as a doting dad and serial killer providing the real kick. The arena-set action is expertly realized through visual cunning, though the plot grows less engaging outside it. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/the-macabre-ironies-of-m-night-shyamalans-trap) ## Little White Lies — Hannah Strong Rating 4/3/3. 9 August 2024. The critic praises Hartnett's performance as both goofy dad and cold-blooded killer but notes the plot doesn't fully deliver on its premise, resulting in a film that doesn't quite kick into top gear despite strong technical craft. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/trap) ## Radio Times — Sean McGeady Rating 3/5. The critic sees it as a playful off-kilter thriller that's more dark comedy than nail-biter, enjoyable for its silliness and Hartnett's performance but undermined by an absurd premise. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-2e6um0/trap/) ## The Telegraph Rating 3/5. 9 August 2024. The critic calls the film 100 per cent ridiculous and barking mad yet finds it a fun, cheekily outrageous cat-and-mouse ride worth a spin despite its silliness and lack of real suspense. The loopy psychothriller indulges its goofy premise effectively enough. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/traptrap-review-m-night-shyamalan-josh-hartnett/) ## The i Paper — Christina Newland Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 9 August 2024. The critic notes the absence of twists as a bold but ultimately limiting choice that leaves the plot with nowhere to go after early reveals. Hartnett's impressive acting is singled out, though the film peters out with clichés and silly escapes in the later acts. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/trap-review-m-night-shyamalan-film-3219538) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 2 August 2024. The critic finds it a lacklustre thriller with an appealing sense of play but fumbles the cat-and-mouse intrigue due to Hartnett's uncompelling performance in the dual role. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/trap-review/5195957.article) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 1 August 2024. The film begins promisingly as a real-time arena thriller but collapses into increasingly contrived twists and implausible plotting. Hartnett brings charm to the serial-killer role, but the story's emotional and logical credibility suffers. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2024/film/reviews/trap-review-m-night-shamalyan-josh-hartnett-1236093073/) ## Empire — Dan Jolin Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 9 August 2024. The review finds the premise initially promising but ultimately inert and unengaging as it abandons its single-location setup too quickly. Hartnett's performance is noted positively, but the nepo-casting of the director's daughter and lack of tension are criticized. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/trap/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 2 August 2024. The critic finds Trap a limp, tension-free dud that fails as a thriller and serves mainly as an embarrassing showcase for the director's daughter. The premise is underdeveloped, the dialogue ungainly, and the situations illogical and dull. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/article/2024/aug/02/trap-review-m-night-shyamalan) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Lovia Gyarkye 1 August 2024. The critic describes it as a middling thriller kept afloat by Josh Hartnett's compelling, wily performance as a father with a dark secret. The first half delivers precise suspense in the concert setting but the film loses momentum in later acts. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/trap-review-m-night-shyamalan-josh-hartnett-1235964691/) ## Vulture 2 August 2024. The critic finds the preposterous premise works better than expected thanks to Josh Hartnett's standout performance as a serial killer posing as a devoted dad. It is clever and committed to its schlocky idea but not smart, with diminishing returns after leaving the arena. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/trap-review-josh-hartnett-gives-grade-a-murder-daddy.html) ## The Playlist — Rodrigo Perez Rating B+. 1 August 2024. The critic praises the film as one of Shyamalan's best in years, an entertaining single-setting thriller that boldly shapeshifts into something darker, more disturbing, and heartfelt in its later acts. Hartnett's terrific performance and the premise's challenge to notions of hero and protagonist are singled out. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/trap-review-m-night-shyamalans-entertaining-thriller-shapeshifts-into-a-compellingly-darker-effort-20240801/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 August 2024. The film is a fiendishly clever and tightly wound thriller that reverses a familiar Shyamalan premise to strong effect, making one of the director's most suspenseful works. Hartnett gives an impressively wicked and funny performance as the central character, supported by unexpected narrative turns. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/trap-review-josh-hartnett-m-night-shyamalan/) ## Den of Geek — Joe George Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 2 August 2024. Trap plays to Shyamalan's strengths as a pulpy B-movie director by placing genuine emotion atop an outrageous premise involving a serial killer at a concert. The critic praises Josh Hartnett's remarkable performance and the film's embrace of trashy, fun elements over pretentious ideas. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/m-night-shyamalan-trap-pulpy-b-movie/) ## Consequence Rating C+. 2 August 2024. The first two-thirds offer a compelling Hitchcockian cat-and-mouse game at the concert, but the plotting falls apart afterward with too many twists that become tedious. Ariel Donoghue stands out with her relatable portrayal of a concert fan. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2024/08/trap-review-josh-hartnett-m-night-shyamalan/) ## /Film — Jeremy Mathai Rating 6/10. 1 August 2024. The critic calls it a messy tale of two movies: a cleverly constructed thriller with tension and dark humor in the first hour that gives way to a loss of momentum and logic later on. Hartnett's committed, off-kilter lead performance and the film's self-aware silliness stand out as highlights. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1629137/trap-review-m-night-shyamalan/) ## Polygon — kayti-burt Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 2 August 2024. Trap feels like a true neutral Shyamalan movie, ambitious in concept but distracted in thematic exploration and delighted in its own twists. It is a fun but halfhearted execution relying more on sentiment than suspense, with too much on its plate. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/24212250/trap-review-shyamalan-m-night-movie-hartnett/) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 1 August 2024. The film shows glimpses of Shyamalan's former brilliance but falters with awkward choices and laughable moments. Josh Hartnett shines portraying the character's complex duality, though the story struggles to build tension and consistently falls short of its potential. [Read the review](https://collider.com/trap-movie-review/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 1 August 2024. The review finds the premise initially intriguing but criticizes the plot for descending into extreme absurdity and losing credibility after the concert sequence. Hartnett delivers a committed performance as the lead, and Saleka Shyamalan shines in her role and songs, but the film overall fails to cohere. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2024/08/trap-review-josh-hartnett-tries-hard-but-cant-save-m-night-shyamalans-convoluted-serial-killer-thriller-1236029744/) ## Paste — Brianna Zigler Rating 7.0. 2 August 2024. Trap is a tense, imperfect thriller that serves as a showcase for Josh Hartnett's performance as a loving father who is also a serial killer. It is a sturdy and fun little thriller despite third-act stumbles, tapping into themes of fatherhood. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/m-night-shyamalan/trap-review) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/trap.md