Trap is the latest M. Night Shyamalan film and he’s been solidly making consistently memorable thrillers for much of his career – on the wrong end of borderline xenophobic humour that is ill-deserved and frankly, unjustified. His output, dating back to the days of Unbreakable, The Sixth Sense and extending onto his more recent work of Knock at the Cabin and Old, has produced consistent hit after consistent hit. And Trap, a concert thriller set during a live performance of fictional superstar, Lady Raven, loosely modelled after Taylor Swift and her adoration by a young fanbase, played by Saleka, Shyamalan’s daughter, is maybe his best since The Village, a return to the old school tense horror.
30,000 fans. 300 cops. 1 serial killer. No escape – the headline is catchy and lets you know what you’re in for. It’s not really a spoiler to say that Josh Hartnett’s seemingly loving father has a dark side, he’s the serial killer that the cops are looking for, led by an experienced FBI profiler who’s capable of one-upping his every move. You see Hartnett play a serial killer increasingly losing his cool and looking for a way out from the get go – he pushes a girl down a stairs in a bid to distract the cops and is willing to melt someone’s face, causing horrific bruises and scarring, in order to get into a secluded area. Hartnett’s Cooper is having a field day with this one – he notices that an unusual number of police officers are present at the event from the off and is constantly looking for ways off. Dr. Josephine Grant (Hayley Mills) is looking for him – and the game of cat and mouse begins – Grant’s experienced, commanding voice boxes him in at every turn.
Shyamalan isn’t immune to tapping into Freudian complexities – the man himself would have a field day with Cooper’s relationship with his mother and her overbearingness – it’s profiled later on that multiple attempts made to catch Cooper are by impersonating his mother and Grant is smart enough to recognise that only the mother of the child at birth, and only for a short period of time, can detect that something is wrong. Marcia Bennett is on terrific form here in her few brief scenes, scary and chilling. The visions of her that Cooper sees are chilling, terrifying in those brief moments – and you’re in Cooper’s shoes.
Shyamalan tackles the relationship that Cooper has with his family and explores the concept of the serial killer always being referred to as being “normal” and “having a loving family” before they snap. He keeps his two lives separate until they collide – and when you learn the revelations that follow in the typical Shyamalan third act; it’s enough to keep you hooked. His family, played by Alison Pill, as good as ever, and the talented Ariel Donaghue, capable of matching in synch with Lady Raven and buying into the adoration of a celebrity – of which Shyamalan comments on here – fame and how celebrities can’t have normal lives – and also how useful and at the same time, alienating an always online world can be – he pulls plenty of punches and they largely all work.
The real star of Trap is Shyamalan’s daughter, Saleka – he’s given her a career path and a full album as a star-making Lady Raven turn. Her songs like Release and Dreamer Girl are just good pop songs in general in addition to being ideal movie songs, and Shyamalan uses his film to not just elevate his daughter’s fame but also poke fun at himself – he’s the bridge here, between the psycho and the singer – Raven addresses the complicated relationship with her father, and we’re seeing her stardom and rise to fame complete with the next step after Old’s terrific end credits song. She has the stage presence capable of being someone who could command that level of fanbase – and the ability to blend her music performance with acting is a real breakout talent.
The humour makes Trap Shyamalan’s funniest film to date – the dad humour jokes come through Cooper’s running commentary on gen-z slang and the false sincerity of his persona slowly coming undone really gives the film an edge. The visual close-ups of Hartnett’s facial expression really add to how unnerving he is as an actor, and that comes through from cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, who worked with Uncle Boonme Who Can Recall His Past Lives and Memoria, experienced in his craft and instantly memorable here, the eye-opening shots of the stage in particular are fantastic and when you’re seeing Cooper work his way around backstage, it becomes apparent that he’s on his last legs.
As with Shyamalan, your ability to enjoy Trap will be determined on whether or not you can embrace the plot twists – and there are plot twists and escalations especially in the third act. Get on its wavelength and you’ll have the time of your life – Trap embraces the chaos the moment the third act kicks in and telegraphs that you’re in the endgame to the audience so you know when to expect. It’s pure fun – Hartnett leans into the ridiculousness of it all brilliantly and the high concept nature of it all pushes suspense of disbelief to the degree. Put that aside and it’s cheeky, outrageous, and for perspective, you’d probably find it were it a book in the airport thriller categories with the likes of James Patterson and company. It’s absurd, bonkers – not quite as scary as his true horror but then this is old-school thriller territory – it’s Shyamalan at his most personal and cynical.