M. Night Shyamalan’s latest film, Trap, offers a tense new take on the serial killer manhunt story that’ll leave you wanting more.
M. Night’s filmography is an interesting one. Despite being filled with plenty of ups and downs, the filmmaker always takes big swings with his ideas. Some work better than others, and I’m more than happy to say Trap manages to bring the goods and remind us why M. Night is still a filmmaker to be reckoned with.
TRAP
Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan
Written By: M. Night Shyamalan
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Night Shyamalan, Hayley Mills, Alison Pill
Release Date: August 2, 2024
If you’ve seen the trailers (which have been impressive) then you already know the general basics of the story. Cooper (Josh Hartnett) finds his dual personas colliding as he attends a popstar concert with his young daughter. On top of being a loving father—who comes off as little goofy, but ultimately sincere—he also happens to be a notorious serial killer known as the Butcher.
Turns out, the entire concert was designed as a trap specifically to root him out, and end his reign of terror. As his twin lives have never overlapped before, Cooper works to find a way out of the FBI’s grasp while ensuring his daughter has the time of her life without discovering the truth.
There’s a little bit more to the overall story, but in an effort to avoid spoilers, I won’t go into it much more here. The result is a super tense cat and mouse manhunt. It’s almost like a duel going on between Cooper and the FBI profiler tasked with bringing him down. They’re both incredibly intelligent, and seeing them work to one-up each other is a big factor in the fun.
What impressed me most, however, is how the core of the film’s tension essentially relies on viewers “rooting” for the bad guy. Make no mistake here, Cooper is the villain. He’s a monster, and there’s no big twist (I’ll speak more on this shortly) revealing he’s not. As such, you know, on a basic intellectual level, that he needs to be caught. And yet, every time he manages to evade, I found myself exhaling in relief.
It’s a strange feeling, but it’s a major factor in why this story works so well, and how the tension is wrought out of just about every scene. Much of this feeling is derived from Cooper’s daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) and their interactions together.
Despite being a monster, we see that Cooper genuinely cares for his daughter. There’s a sincerity to his Girl Dad persona, and the bond they share is a genuine one. You feel for the girl, knowing she’s an innocent in all this. As such, you find yourself hoping Cooper succeeds if only preserve Riley’s “best day ever.”
Again, no spoilers, but I want to be clear…there isn’t really a “big” twist. At least not in the way people are accustomed to, or typically joke about, with Shyamalan films. The twist this time around isn’t earth-shattering or dramatically alters the story as we know it. Ultimately it answers a question I remember being on my mind pretty much from the outset.
Being a more subtle twist actually makes the main story feel more engaging. Because the rest of the film isn’t necessarily concerned with “hiding” some secret, it’s able to go all in on other aspects. We know within the first few minutes that Cooper is the serial killer, so we get to spend the film seeing him struggle balancing his dual identities. If we had to spend the same amount of time wondering if he was really the killer or not, those moments really wouldn’t have the same impact.
And it’s great, because Hartnett absolutely shines in the role. The amount of dialog he has feels pretty minimal and most of his performance is conveyed through his mannerisms and facial expressions. It’s impressive to see, in real time, as he shifts between personas in order to lie his way out of situations; and all the more chilling when his dark side slips out. Truly, the entire concept of the movie hinges on Hartnett’s portrayal…and he utterly nails it.
It’s not a perfect film. Trap suffers from some clunky dialog and more than a few plot conveniences. Even so, the fun factor and thrills are more than enough to make up for it.
Trap is just a ridiculously good time. Managing to balance incredible tension with some sly humor, all while getting you invested in these characters on a surprising level. Combine that with a great soundtrack and the deft filmmaking Shyamalan is known for, and Trap is easily among his best work. I find myself eager to check it out again to see how well it works with repeat viewings, but I have a strong feeling it’s going to hold up.
