Trap: Shyamalan's new film is inspired by a 40-year-old true story

“Trap”, the new thriller by M. Night Shyamalan, was released in theaters this Wednesday, August 7. The story of a concert organized to trap a serial killer. But did you know that this film is inspired by a true story?

In Trap, M. Night Shyamalan's sixteenth film, a serial killer and good family man (played by Josh Hartnett) finds himself trapped in a pop concert. A surprising pitch for the king of final twists since we know from the beginning who the serial killer is…

The filmmaker got the idea for this film while talking with his daughter, the singer Saleka, who also plays the role of Lady Raven, the pop star in the film. He explains in the press kit: “It was while talking about music and cinema that my daughter Saleka and I had the idea for TRAP. From the start, we wanted to make a musical film together that would work like a thriller. And then I wondered if we could imagine a thriller around music. I said to myself that Saleka could write an album, then that we would use his music in the context of a concert represented on screen and then that we would integrate this sequence into the plot of the thriller. Could these two elements coexist? I started to think about it, I spoke to Saleka about it and she was really enthusiastic. We started from this premise: we focus on a father and his daughter who go to a concert, and we constantly come across concert scenes and the terrible events that take place there. We then launched into the development of the project.”

But the director was also inspired by a real sting operation by the American government which allowed the arrest of more than a hundred fugitives, as he explains to the magazine. Empire.

Operation Flagship 1985

This is Operation Flagship, a famous sting operation conducted by the US government in 1985 to capture hundreds of fugitives wanted for various crimes. The operation was orchestrated using the false promise of a gift to lure the fugitives.

The fugitives received invitations to a game of the Washington Redskins, a very popular American football team at the time. The event was held at a convention center, where a space had been set up to give the illusion of a real celebration. U.S. Marshals Service agents, disguised as staff, greeted the guests. Once the fugitives showed up, they were identified, discreetly separated from the main group, and then arrested by the plainclothes agents. In total, approximately 100 fugitives were arrested without major incident.

M. Night Shyamalan comments to Empire: “It was hilarious. The police officers were literally dressed as cheerleaders and mascots. The fugitives were dancing as they came in and they all got caught. It was so twisted and funny.”

The same operation took place in several places in the United States with promises of various prizes. In total, 3,309 criminals were captured. This is the largest mass arrest in the history of the United States.

Operation Flagship was widely hailed as a major achievement for American law enforcement. It demonstrated the effectiveness of unconventional methods in apprehending wanted criminals without resorting to violence or dangerous confrontations. The operation also highlighted the importance of ingenuity and cunning in law enforcement strategies.

M. Night Shyamalan So he took up the idea of a concert organized in order to catch a criminal. Trap is currently in theaters.