Summary
- Trap’s premise mirrors a real-life case called Operation Flagship, where Feds disguised as a sports network & arrested 101 fugitives.
- M. Night Shyamalan’s inspiration from the deceptive sting led him to create a tense thriller based on the absurdity of the real events.
- Cooper’s situation in Trap draws parallels with apprehensions made in Operation Flagship, blurring the line between fiction and reality.
As a seasoned cinema enthusiast who’s had the pleasure of witnessing a myriad of captivating narratives unfold on the silver screen, I find myself intrigued by M. Night Shyamalan’s latest offering, “Trap.” The movie seems to be another masterstroke in his repertoire of thought-provoking and mind-bending films.
M. Night Shyamalan is recognized for crafting movies with remarkable storylines and surprising plot twists, such as The Sixth Sense and Signs. Trap appears to be yet another instance of his creative narrative construction.
In my personal experience, I find myself as Cooper, a devoted father with a loving wife and two wonderful children. One day, I decide to take my tween daughter, Riley, to see her idol, Lady Raven, in concert. As any responsible dad would, I notice an unusual number of police officers inside the venue. A kind vendor confides that tonight’s event is a trap, designed to capture the Butcher – a ruthless serial killer known for his gruesome crimes. This chilling revelation takes on new meaning when I realize that I am, in fact, the Butcher.
For approximately the next hour and a half, we’ll be treated to Cooper eluding numerous ludicrous traps set by the Federal agents. Remarkably, it’s not beyond belief that he could be ensnared, as Shyamalan’s film is inspired by a real-life story, though not strictly accurate. Let’s delve into the true events that served as the foundation for the movie “Trap”.
Trap’s Inspiration… Sort Of
The storyline of the movie “Trap” is loosely based on a true event known as Operation Flagship. In 1985, an elite team within the U.S. Marshals Service, called the Fugitive Investigative Strike Team (F.I.S.T.), initiated a strategy to apprehend multiple fugitives in Washington D.C. Their innovative approach involved creating a sham sports network, dubbed Flagship International Sports Television, modeled after their own agency.
I, as one of the selected winners, arrived at the Washington Convention Center early on the day of the game to collect my tickets. Surrounding me were individuals disguised as maintenance workers, cheerleaders, mascots, ushers, and other staff – all in character, pretending to celebrate with us ‘fugitives’. Even my check-in was part of the ruse to confirm that I was indeed a fugitive. In 2016, Toby Roche, then Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal for the District of Columbia, explained in an NFL Films documentary that a ‘confirmed winner’ was someone wanted, and a ‘double winner’ was a particularly dangerous individual, someone with charges of aggravated assault, murder, or robbery.
Federal agents then divided smaller groups of up to 14 individuals into various grand ballrooms. Upon arrival, it was only when the Master of Ceremonies announced their arrest that the Special Operations Team swiftly entered the room to apprehend them. Amazingly, some of the people were still perplexed even post-arrest, inquiring “Are we still allowed to attend the game?” The undercover operation resulted in 101 arrests on that particular day.
As a die-hard fan, I couldn’t help but notice some intriguing clues that hinted at the U.S. Marshals’ presence, if one was paying attention. Instead of a regular sports channel, it appeared to be a disguise. The network president’s name, I. Michael Detnaw, was quite revealing – an anagram for “I am wanted.” Furthermore, the business manager of this new network was called Markus Cran, which happens to be “narc” spelled backward. It seemed the Feds were enjoying their undercover operation while also preparing to apprehend a significant number of criminals.
Shyamalan Had Operation Flagship in Mind
While Trap isn’t exactly about Operation Flagship, it shares some similarities – and these similarities weren’t coincidental. M. Night Shyamalan drew inspiration from Operation Flagship as he developed his movie. As he explained to Dextero, the idea came to him: “I remember back when I was a kid, there was this event that happened in the ’80s where the police and FBI organized a sting operation at a public gathering.”
M. Night Shyamalan drew inspiration for his story from the concept of a public event designed to capture fugitives. According to him, he found the idea amusing due to its absurdity, and watching footage of similar operations like Operation Flagship leaves him in stitches.
Shyamalan commented, “[The authorities] took advantage of the absurdity to trap [the fugitives], since they had let their guard down, which I found very clever.” This concept stayed with him, and when considering a movie idea with Saleka at a concert, he pondered why this person couldn’t escape and how to keep them confined.
In a similar fashion, just as it seemed inevitable for those involved with Operation Flagship to snag Redskins tickets, Cooper finding himself at his daughter’s idol’s concert in the genre of Trap feels perfectly fitting for his character. This suggests that perhaps Trap isn’t as outlandish or unrealistic as one might initially think.
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2024-08-11 01:31