Trap House: Dave Bautista Shines in a Mediocre Action Thriller (Early Review)

Trap House reunites director Michael Dowse with his Stuber star Dave Bautista, marking their second collaboration. Set in El Paso, Texas, the film follows DEA Agent Ray Seale (Bautista) who, alongside his partner Andre Washburn (Bobby Cannavale), embark on a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the cartels, while Ray’s teenage son Cody (Champion) and his friends start using their parents’ intel and tactics to rob dangerous cartel trap houses. Trap House marks a significant departure for Dowse, primarily known for directing comedies, now tackles this action thriller. While a decent watch with a lot of good things going for it, it fails to rise above yet just another mediocre action thriller.

Certainly a well crafted film, it is easily the best looking effort of Dowse’s career. He has a great grasp of the action, shooting it very well and making for action sequences that are not only entertaining, but also intense to watch. That intensity would only increase as the film progresses, along with the stakes. Boasting a great premise that, in better hands, could have made for a fantastic crime thriller. That being said, the film is so wild that it is hard not to appreciate how it absolutely swings for the fences and did not pull any punches. The best part of the film is easily Bautista, who fits Ray like a glove and delivers one of his better performances of late. Bautista is so charismatic of a lead that he is the one character who audiences will gravitate to the most. Meanwhile, Cannavale isn’t given much to do or work with as Andre, outside of being Ray’s parter, but he makes the most of it, having a good rapport with Bautista.

In the end, where Trap House falls flat is with the B-story of teenagers, led by Cody Seale, robbing trap houses, simply isn’t believable or all that interesting. Whether it be their performances and/or the way their characters are written, it becomes difficult to buy that any of these teens could pull off these kinds of heists and get away with them. This storyline is so far fetched to the point that it will take audiences out of it. On top of that, it doesn’t help that the storyline is given the bulk of the focus. The way the storylines eventually intersect feels a bit contrived, culminating in a throwaway reveal that could be seen from a mile away. Normally, a film clocking in around the sweet spot between 90 and 100 minutes would be a good thing but in this case, it would have benefitted from a longer runtime, if only to allow the plot more time to breathe and to further flesh out its characters.

Trap House is a fine watch that shows a different side of director Michael Dowse, but one can’t help be frustrated at the great film it could have been, if not for a few tweaks. The effortless charisma of Dave Bautista, alongside some intense action, and a promising premise keep it decently entertaining, but is not necessarily anything worth rushing out to see. For those who are still interested, it should make for a perfect streaming watch somewhere down the road.

still courtesy of Aura Entertainment

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Connor Carey

www.connorsmoviereviews.com/