Upamanyu Biswas
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, the psychological thriller film, ‘Trap,’ revolves around a serial killer, Cooper Adams, also known as the Butcher, a middle-aged father of two children, Riley and Logan, who attempts to escape a pop concert after a sting operation is held to capture him. The movie follows him and his daughter’s trip to Lady Raven’s concert at the Tanaka Arena, where a horde of police descends on the location in an attempt to apprehend the Butcher once and for all. However, Cooper utilizes every skill in his handbook to evade their tactics while trying to ensure the walls don’t close in around him.
The movie employs a heart-racing premise: a loud and chaotic concert atmosphere playing host to an undercover operation told through the eyes of a perpetrator. Instead of following the efforts of the police, the viewers get a glimpse into the other side of the law as the proverbial bad guy attempts to slip through the hands of law enforcement, all happening against the backdrop of a flurry of catchy musical numbers. It creates an engaging set-up that is certain to prompt questions about the authenticity of the operation portrayed and whether the film itself is based on a true story.
A Real Sting Operation is Partly the Inspiration Behind Trap
‘Trap’ is a fictional narrative conceived by writer, director, and producer M. Night Shyamalan that draws parts of its premise from a 1985 sting operation known as Operation Flagship. It was undertaken by the U.S. Marshals Service’s Fugitive Investigative Strike Team to apprehend several fugitives in Washington, D.C., with the help of the Metropolitan Police Department. The authorities baited the absconders by sending them invites to claim free tickets to the football game between Washington Redskins and Cincinnati Bengals at the Washington Convention Center. They also offered them a chance to get free tickets to the Super Bowl. The operation ended with the arrest of over 100 fugitives and is considered one of the most successful mass arrest schemes by U.S. law enforcement.
During the event, marshals and police officers disguised themselves as cheerleaders, ushers, emcees, caterers, mascots, and maintenance staff. In an interview with Empire Magazine, Shyamalan jokingly stated, “It was hilarious. The cops were literally cheerleaders and mascots. These guys were dancing as they came in. And they were all caught. It was so twisted and funny.” As the director has a long history of working with high-concept ideas, the real-life account naturally blended with his initial ideas and presented an opportunity to delve into a unique scenario about a cat-and-mouse game between the authorities and a serial killer trapped amongst the teeming masses. However, he admitted that it was an inspiration that came in the late stages of the development process.
Trap Combines a Taylor-Swift Style Concert With a Thriller Plot
While the premise of ‘Trap’ was half-inspired by Operation Flagship, M. Night Shyamalan revealed that the film’s genesis sprang from conversations he had with his daughter, Saleka, a singer and songwriter. They wanted to create a movie where music was central to the heart and atmosphere present within the narrative. They drew inspiration from other musicals like ‘Purple Rain’ and ‘A Star is Born,’ but felt those films had only a few songs scattered throughout their story. Shyamalan was intent on capturing a family story where the father and daughter watch a whole album of songs being sung right in front of them. He also blended in a serial killer plot as he was obsessed with that particular subgenre of thriller movies, wanting to dip his toes into it himself.
“It really was Saleka and I talking about a movie where music was critical to the movie, that the characters are watching all the songs,” the director said. “That was the goal, it started that way. And I’ve always loved serial killers, I love them. That’s a subject I’ve always wanted to write something about, it’s always been an obsession: can I make a serial killer movie, a different kind of serial killer movie. I was like, maybe he’s a serial killer, or maybe one’s loose, I was trying to dance around these concepts.” He later recalled the operation led by the authorities during the 1980s, folding the real account into his premise as a way of bolstering the authenticity while also noting it as something that “was very funny.”
The filmmaker pitched his movie by boiling it down to a simple question that he wanted to explore: “What if ‘The Silence Of The Lambs’ happened at a Taylor Swift concert?” Therefore, given the musical themes at play, it was a natural and organic process to include his vocally and musically talented daughter, Saleka, who collaborated with him by playing the pop star Lady Raven. By marrying two disparate subjects, the director wanted to create a “very scary and Hitchcockian” narrative that is primarily a charged concept thriller about a serial killer on the loose – except this time, he is attending a concert with his daughter while on the run from the authorities.
Read More: Trap: Where Was M. Night Shyamalan’s Movie Filmed?
