TRAP HOUSE (AMAZON PRIME) (2026)

SYNOPSIS: In El Paso, Texas an undercover DEA agent and his partner embark on a game of cat and mouse with an audacious group of thieves: their own rebellious teenagers. The teens begin to rob from a dangerous cartel, using their parents' tactics and top-secret intel.

MOVIE REVIEW:

One of the producers of Trap House happens to be the acclaimed Ridley Scott. So naturally, you’d expect something darker, grittier, and more action-packed, especially given the drug-related theme.

Dave Bautista stars as DEA agent Ray, a single parent to his teenage son, Cody (Jack Champion from Avatar, if you can still recognise him). Coincidentally, Cody goes to school with the children of Ray’s fellow DEA colleagues. When one of Ray’s squad members is killed in a raid and his family is unfairly compensated by the government, Ray cajoles his friends into raising funds for the family of Ray's fallen colleague by planning to rob a local cartel.

Trap House is genuinely a case of trying too hard. At first, it’s positioned as a Sicario-style crime thriller, with Ray and his partner Andre (Bobby Cannavale) investigating a drug cartel that has infiltrated El Paso. Then, somehow, Cody and his friends enter the picture, robbing the cartel using tasers and smoke grenades, turning the film from a grounded affair into a far less compelling one. There’s also a twist that you’ll spot from miles away, especially when Cody starts getting cosy with a suspicious love interest at school.

Still, there are a few redeeming factors in Trap House. The relationship between Ray and Cody is nicely played out, with Ray as an overprotective father to a rebellious teenager who feels suffocated by his dad’s curfew. Secondly, and somewhat contradictorily, writers Gary Scott Thompson and Tom O’Connor at least attempt to put a spin on things. Instead of Ray and Andre going rogue, the film focuses primarily on Cody’s poor judgment for much of its runtime.

Director Michael Dowse (Stuber, Coffee & Kareem) may not be the ideal choice for an action thriller, but he does a decent job here given the minuscule budget, delivering at least a handful of serviceable action sequences. Bautista and Champion turn in competent performances, though Cannavale is largely wasted in the “buddy” role.

Despite its premise involving a ruthless drug cartel and undercover DEA agents, Trap House ends up largely deprived of the fiery, tightly wound thrills required to make it truly work. It’s not outstanding by any means, but it’s never boring either.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee