M. Night Shyamalan is riding the wave of a major resurgence. After a modest return to success with 2015’s The Visit, Shyamalan undertook the unthinkable task of making sequels to his 2000 cult hit Unbreakable in the form of Split and Glass. The filmmaker then continued to hone his unique voice with Old and Knock at the Cabin. To some, he hasn’t come close to the glory days of The Sixth Sense and Signs. To others, he keeps proving to be ahead of the curve. Shyamalan’s latest project, Trap, teams him with a lead star who’s experiencing a bit of a comeback himself, Josh Hartnett (Oppenheimer, Penny Dreadful). As it turns out, joining forces results in some of their most dynamic respective work. Trap combines white-knuckle suspense with black comedy in a one-of-a-kind character study that sees writer-director M. Night Shyamalan mastering his craft all over again.
All Cooper Adams (Josh Hartnett) wants is for his teen daughter Riley (Ariel Donaghue) to have the time of her life seeing her favorite pop star live in concert. Fate has other plans, though. In the midst of taking Riely to see global sensation Lady Raven (Shyamalan’s daughter Saleka Shyamalan) at the Philadelphia stop of her stadium arena tour, Cooper discovers that there are all sorts of authorities among the screaming teenage fans who have set a trap to catch the infamous serial killer known as “The Butcher” at the show. Here’s the kicker: Cooper is The Butcher. Under intense pressure, Cooper must find a way to evade his own capture while making sure his daughter gets the concert experience of her dreams.
Oftentimes, the great concepts of M. Night Shyamalan’s works give way to a messy hodge-podge of tones and ideas that don’t quite connect. Not so much here. This is among Shyamalan’s tightest scripts. From the moment Cooper realizes what’s going on, Trap hits the gas and never lets up. There’s no mind-blowing twist ending; no shark-jumping reveal that recontextualizes the preceding film. Instead, Shyamalan trusts his premise, wholeheartedly placing you in the head of a bad man in a desperate situation torn between being a good father and covering his bases. The commitment to this core concept keeps viewers on their toes at all times, with Shyamalan digging up new wrenches to throw in Cooper’s plans at every corner. In this regard, Trap recalls Uncut Gems, as once Cooper appears to be in the clear, there’s a new obstacle to overcome that will shoot your heart rate into the stratosphere.
A large component of Trap’s spell is in its visceral composition. Cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom (Challengers) makes the open space of the stadium where Lady Raven is performing feel claustrophobic. Not only because of Cooper’s situation, but also due to the stark grays of the hallways, the numerous hidden corridors, the crush of a crowd, and deep red concert lights that flash across Josh Hartnett’s cold face. To put it lightly, both Cooper and the audience feel like rats in a maze. These high levels of stress are supplemented by a wonderfully messy mixture of score by Herdís Stefánsdóttir (Knock at the Cabin) and original songs by music star Saleka Shyamalan, maintaining an overwhelming sonic sensation that permeates throughout the story, much like the endless barrage of thoughts and noise that must be going through Cooper’s head.
When we see the stage, it’s only from as far as Cooper and his daughter can see. Everything is in the moment and immediate. Sayombhu Mukdeeprom’s camera is always darting around, focusing on seemingly random objects and pathways. Through the eyes of Cooper, all of these are potential tools to aid his escape. Each time the camera lingers a little too long on an object, there’s a jolting feeling, as the suspense comes as to whether or not this will be useful in Cooper’s salvation. A gasp, or perhaps nervous laughter, can come from Trap showing us something as simple as an ID card hanging from a guard’s belt, knowing what’s about to happen next. Trap trains you to play a consequential game of “I, Spy,” almost becoming Cooper in the process.
The great revelation of Trap is Josh Hartnett. There is a glut of cinematic serial killers to riff on. Cooper certainly has shades of Norman Bates and Patrick Bateman to him, though Hartnett brings his own charm. What makes Hartnett enthralling in the role is his ability to slip into the affable everyman persona, while behind his eyes, you can see the gears turning as he formulates his escape plan. Hartnett is so convincing when he goes back into loving father mode that he almost makes you question if he truly is the Butcher or acting erratically for some other reason. His chemistry with newcomer Ariel Donaghue, another in a long line of great child actor performances Shyamalan has coaxed out, feels heartfelt.
Trap never loses sight that Cooper is the real bad guy. However, that doesn’t stop M. Night Shyamalan and Josh Hartnett from indulging in some delicious dark humor. Seeing Cooper successfully pull off each part of his escape plan invokes a “Can he really be getting away with this?” chuckle. Trap makes you root for the bad guy, with an arch sense of fun even as he slips the mask to reveal the depraved individual underneath. The interactions between Josh Hartnett and Saleka Shyamalan (who is stunningly natural in her film debut) are nectar to fans of Shyamalan’s constant line-jumping between the psychological thriller, horror, and comedy genres.
Trap might lose some of its audience when it slows down to explore the psychology of Cooper, aided by meeting his wife Rachel Adams (Allison Pill). Hartnett goes fully over-the-top in a way that is mostly successful but might come off as simply too much. As his “two lives” as an upstanding citizen/family man and serial killer collide, it seems like Shyamalan is trying to say something about men who hide their demons behind doing right by their loved ones. Trap confronts this theme head-on. It’s unfortunate, then, that the relationship between Cooper and his daughter takes a backseat. Shyamalan’s screenplay is more concerned with diving into the increasingly ridiculous psyche of a madman. Although this will definitely turn many people away from its chaotic plot, this will only make the film more interesting for others.
You’re either on board with M. Night Shyamalan at this point or not. For the faithful, Trap is the kind of movie that will lead to many broken theater armrests by way of clutching too hard. Trap deals in nerve-shredding suspense, ingenious framing, and a comedic mean streak that all come together under Josh Hartnett’s tour-de-force performance and Shyamalan’s assured directorial hand. Being stuck at a pop concert with a serial killer is not ideal, but there are much worse fates than being stuck in a theater showing Shyamalan’s latest.
Trap hits theaters on August 2!
Release Date: August 2, 2024!
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan.
Written by M. Night Shyamalan.
Produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock, & M. Night Shyamalan.
Executive Producer: Steven Schneider.
Main Cast: Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills, Alison Pill, Lochland Miller, Marnie McPhail, Jonathan Langdon, Tim Russ, Vanessa Smythe, Kid Cudi, & Hailey Summer.
Cinematographer: Sayombhu Mukdeeprom.
Composer: Herdís Stefánsdóttir.
Production Companies: Blinding Edge Pictures.
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Runtime: 105 minutes.
Rated PG-13.
