Movie Review: Trap (2024)

It’s a Trap for sure.

After watching M. Night Shyamalan’s newest thriller, “Trap,” I overheard a couple of fellow moviegoers describe the film as “Silence of the Lambs” at a Taylor Swift concert. I immediately wanted to fight. On its best day, this film is no “Silence of the Lambs.”

Since the giant letdown of “The Village,” Shyamalan and I have been on shaky ground. But then “The Visit” and “Split” fooled me into a false sense of security. My confidence in his ability as a compelling storyteller was soon lost after viewing “Old.”  Come to think of it, it was really James McAvoy’s performance that I found captivating in “Split.”

That said, I go into his films with a low bar. In the immortal words of the Gin Blossoms, “If you don’t expect too much from me, you might not be let down.”  Shyalaman always has a great premise that generally peters out in the 3rd act, and “Trap” is no different. There is very little tension, and the film is sometimes just downright silly. 

Cooper (Josh Harnett) is the center of our story. Cooper wants us to believe he is just a regular dad, taking his preteen daughter, Riley (Ariel Donoghue), to a stadium concert featuring her favorite pop artist, Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan). But we find out early on (as early as the trailer) that Cooper is hiding a secret life. He is a serial killer known as The Butcher, and law enforcement knows he is there and is taking every precaution to trap and catch him. 

After “The Sixth Sense,” audiences were always on the lookout for Shyalaman’s big plot twists. There isn’t really one to speak of in “Trap.” Already knowing who The Butcher is in the film, the question becomes how he will escape. The biggest plot twist is that “Trap” is a one-hour and 45-minute vehicle to promote his daughter Saleka Shyamalan’s music career. I’m surprised I wasn’t sent a link to download her album after I purchased the ticket.

Shyalaman tends to overexplain his characters’ motivations which leads me to believe that even he lacks confidence in his storytelling. It’s almost like watching “Pop Up” video. FBI Profiler Dr. Josephine Grant (Haley Mills) is the unfortunate conduit for all this exposition. The character of Dr. Grant has to be the most major bit part ever to occupy the screen. The actress is underused while her character is of significant importance. 

But enough about what I wasn’t impressed with. Let’s talk about who did impress me… Josh Hartnett. I bought the ticket because I wanted to see Harnett in this type of creepy role, and he did not disappoint. Watching him portray Cooper, a man walking a fine line between a law-abiding dad and a serial killer with a 12-body count, was nothing less than mesmerizing.

Cooper has been living this double life long enough that he never seems to doubt that he’ll get away unscathed. He thinks quickly on his feet, careful not to unravel in front of his daughter, and eventually devises an escape plan. Harnett masterfully communicates Cooper’s hubris and ability to “code switch” through subtle facial expressions and body movements.

After the 2007 film “30 Days of Night,” I stopped paying attention to Hartnett. Not because it was a bad movie; I was just no longer interested in the projects he was putting out.  He returned to my radar when he starred in the 2023 “Black Mirror” episode “Beyond the Sea.” That performance sent chills down my spine, and he again had my attention.

As a Gen Xer who remembers Harnett as our late 90s/early aughts “It Boy” with the jacked-up haircut, watching him now be the uncool dad misuse the newest slang in front of his preteen daughter was humbling. Really made me take a hard look at myself.  It’s only a matter of time before my daughter finds me embarrassing.

None of the characters really behave like humans. But in Cooper’s case, it makes sense that he wouldn’t. He is, in fact, a psychopathic serial killer, mimicking his way through life. With some dark humor and an interesting ending, “Trap” is at times enjoyable. But I don’t think you need to rush out to see it. Unless you want to see Harnett with his shirt off, then, by all means, rush to your local theater. He is still a very good-looking dude.

As a matter of fact…I think I’ll go watch “Penny Dreadful” now.