Trap House
Silly, kid-centric action flick does the nostalgic trick.
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“Trap House” (in select theaters beginning Friday, Nov. 14) made me think of a movie I hadn’t thought of in years – this being the 1988 Touchstone Pictures picture “The Rescue,” which I’d frequently watch on cable as a kid. Both films concern the children of service people stepping into more adult roles in hopes of helping their parents and/or community. Both films are also patently absurd.
Ray (Dave Bautista) and Wash (Bobby Cannavale) are El Paso, Texas-based DEA agent partners in pursuit of a cartel overseen by the devious sibling duo of Benito (Marvel TV mainstay Tony Dalton) and Natalia (Kate del Castillo, essentially extending her role as La Bruja from “Bad Boys for Life”).
During a sting operation on the cartel one of Ray and Wash’s colleagues gets sniped by a sniper. Turns out the DEA’s death benefits aren’t so hot placing great hardship on their fallen comrade’s family … especially his kid Jesse (Blu del Barrio).
In a plot thread that doesn’t seem especially safe and certainly strains credulity, the teenage children of these DEA agents have established a clique at their high school. Ray’s son Cody (Jack Champion, the divisive Spider from “Avatar: The Way of Water”) gets the bright idea to employ intel, non-lethal weapons and gear from the DEA in order to rob the titular cartel trap house and ropes his homies Denny (Sophia Lillis, “It”), Yvonne (Whitney Peak) and Kyle (Zaire Adams) into aiding him. They plan to share their pilfered gains with Jesse’s family. Cody balances his burgeoning burglary ring with a budding relationship to new girl Teresa (Inde Navarrette).
“Trap House” is a reunion between Bautista and his “Stuber” director Michael Dowse. It’s co-written by “The Fast and the Furious” creator Gary Scott Thompson and “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” franchise scripter Tom O’Connor. It’s nowhere near as funny as “Stuber” nor as serious as Sir Ridley Scott’s executive producer credit might suggest. It has an appealing cast (even if the ever-talented Cannavale’s character is little more than a haircut … albeit a cool one) and is never boring, but it’s also not especially good or believable. I saw the twist coming a mile away (sue me – I’ve seen a movie before), but the filmmakers add an additional twist that did indeed surprise me.
“Trap House” isn’t great, but it’s certainly serviceable. I could definitely see it appealing to teenagers or Gen Xers and millennials who are nostalgic for fare such as “Red Dawn” or “Toy Soldiers.” It’ll make for a great late night or lazy afternoon cable (or streaming as is likely the case) movie. It leaves itself wide open for “Trap House 2: Trap Harder” and I for one would tune in.