‘Trap’ Review: Josh Hartnett Tries Hard, But He Can’t Save M. Night Shyamalan’s Convoluted Serial Killer Thriller

When it comes to M. Night Shyamalan, it is a career that is one of the most mixed bags in cinematic history. For every Sixth Sense, there is a Lady In The Water. For every Signs, there is a Happening. For every Unbreakable, there is an After Earth. For every Split, there is a Knock At The Cabin.

He started out with Oscar nominations at the beginning of his career, plus comparisons to Hitchcock and Spielberg. But his obsession with out-twisting himself has too often provided disappointments. In the case of his latest, Trap, he writes himself into a corner from which there is no escape, if not for his main character, then at least for himself.

Opening officially tomorrow, but in theaters tonight — where I caught the first show — since the studio, in a rare move these days, did not invite critics to see it ahead of time. I was initially intrigued by the amusing, if completely ludicrous, plot devices Shyamalan dreams up for the main attraction here, a serial killer apparently on the loose at a crowded concert. Plot-wise, authorities have gotten word (just exactly how is explained much later) that among the 30,000-person, mostly teenage girl crowd will be a man known as The Butcher, who has been in operation for seven years and murdered at least a dozen on his crime spree. Their plan is to covertly turn the arena into a “trap,” with every conceivable exit covered by SWAT teams who, I guess, plan to examine every adult male who attempts to exit.

This creates a problem for Cooper (Josh Hartnett), who is taking his excited teen daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to the Lady Raven (Sakeka Shyamalan) concert. Why? Because it isn’t more than 15 minutes into the film that Cooper, on one of many trips to the lobby, is also revealed as the Butcher they are looking for (we know, because a potential victim is shown on his cell phone tied up in a basement somewhere).

Conveniently, he finds this out in an exchange with a friendly merch clerk who manages to spill the beans of what the heavy police presence is all about. In one of the first completely convoluted contrivances, the kid even allows Cooper into the stockroom, where he covertly manages to swipe his security clearance. A little later, he manages to work his way into a meeting of all the cops, where he also manages to sneak out with one of their police walkie talkies. So, in a matter of minutes, this guy is right on top of everything going on, and that includes plans as detailed by the psychological profiler for the FBI, Dr. Josephine Grant (a very unPollyana-ish Hayley Mills) who is running the operation.

So now, Cooper is trapped, and must find a way out. Conveniently, he just happens to meet the Uncle (Shyamalan’s cameo) of Lady Raven in the middle of this gargantuan crowd, lies about his daughter recovering from leukemia, gains his sympathy, and gets Riley chosen for a spot on stage as the “dreamer girl” in one of Raven’s final numbers. This leads to unlimited backstage access, as well as the beginning of the complete collapse of any semblance of logic or credibility in the storytelling.

Avoiding spoilers, I will not recount his next moves, only to say once the film is out of the concert hall, Shyamalan’s inventions take a deep dive into extreme absurdity, as we learn Cooper/Butcher has severe psychological problems and mommy issues (think Norman Bates-lite) that he managed to keep well-hidden from his picture perfect suburban family, which includes clueless wife Rachel (Allison Pill). Hitchcock would have demanded rewrites.

On the plus side, Hartnett is all-in on making us believe he could successfully navigate two completely different lives and personas, This is a showcase for the dependable actor, just as Split was for James McAvoy. And it is good to report that it is also a showcase for the talents of Shyamalan’s musician daughter, Saleka, who convincingly portrays the fictional Lady Raven, but also wrote and performs the numerous songs during the concert.

With a touch of Adele to her voice and material, she is an impressive talent, and if nothing else comes of Trap, her soundtrack could be a hit. Acting-wise, she also does just fine, even if given the most ridiculous situations outside of the concert stage. The director is clearly trying to encourage the family to follow in his showbiz footsteps, as he produced daughter Ishana’s feature writing/directing debut, The Watchers, which came and went quickly in June.

Among non-Shyamalan family members, Donoghue is a lively presence as a teen who acts like Taylor Swift just became her bestie. I particularly enjoyed seeing the Disney legend Hayley Mills, now in her 70’s, still getting work. Forget Lady Raven, I wanted to geek out over her.

Producers are Shyamalan, Ashwin Rajan, and Marc Bienstock.

Title: Trap

Distributor: Warner Bros.

Release Date: August 2, 2024

Director/Screenplay: M. Night Shyamalan

Cast: Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills, Allison Pill

Rating: PG13

Running Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes