Trap House Movie Review – Dave Bautista Takes a Backseat to His Younger Co-Stars

Michael Dowse’s Trap House requires an outrageously high suspension of disbelief. Most kids can’t even remember their parents’ phone numbers, but we’re meant to believe that Cody Seale (Jack Champion), Deni Morales (Sophia Lillis), Yvonne Reynolds (Whitney Peak), and Kyle Alvarez (Zaire Adams) all paid attention to their folks’ jobs at the DEA and how to pull off effective raids? Okay, they’re sloppy in their execution, but even so, there’s too much convenience in the storytelling that pushes this action film into the realm of unbelievable. If you can put that aside, though, Trap House unlocks a lively and action-packed heist where the younger cast outshines the seasoned actors. 

The setup doesn’t differ too much from the trailer: Dave Bautista plays DEA agent Ray Seale, who leads his team to bust a cartel’s drug den. However, the operation takes a nasty turn, leaving officer Padilla (David Castañeda) dead. This has an impact on Padilla’s son, Jesse (Blu del Barrio), and his mother who will need to leave El Paso. After visiting a trap house with his dad, Cody comes up with an idea to steal money from these locations to help Jesse. The problem is that the cartel’s Benito (Tony Dalton) and Natalia Cabrera (Kate del Castillo) don’t take kindly to those who steal from them.

Tom O’Connor and Gary Scott Thompson’s story works in Trap House‘s favor. It doesn’t throw everything and the kitchen sink at the audience, so when there is a surprise, it lands far more effectively. There’s a particular twist here that’s almost identical to a revelatory moment from Tom Holland’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, but Trap House takes it one step further and adds a whole new narrative layer that changes the context of the story.

Action-wise, Dowse focuses on fast thrills rather than intensive combat. Narratively, it makes sense, because Cody and his friends aren’t trained agents (Cody has some wrestling experience, which is a nice nod and wink to his on-screen father’s previous profession), so any scrap needs to be a quick in and out before the situation escalates. By doing this, Dowse also adds more importance and danger to the gunplay moments.

Trap House isn’t one of those films that advertises its stars on the poster then has them in the film for five minutes. Bautista receives a lot of screentime, as does Dalton, del Castillo, and Bobby Cannavale to a lesser extent. Despite this, the older actors understand that this story is about Cody and his friends and willingly play second fiddle here.

Champion, Lillis, Peak. Adams, and del Barrio come across as real friends in their performances. There’s a natural and playful ease around them, making you believe that they would do anything for each other. While not a part of their friendship circle, Inde Navarrette – whom most viewers know as Sarah Cushing from Superman & Lois – pulls a tasty bait-and-switch as Teresa Flores. Initially, Teresa comes across as the generic love interest for Cody, but keep your eyes on her at all times.

Trap House won’t make anyone’s top 10 list at the end of the year, nor should anyone exaggerate it as an underrated hit. Instead, it sticks to its side of the bargain, delivering the movie it promised to be from the marketing material. It’s an enjoyable distraction for 101 minutes of your life, even though it’s not something anyone will remember a year from now.

RELATED: David Leitch In Talks To Direct Netflix’s Gears of War Movie & Dave Bautista Wants In