Trap is M. Night Shyamalan’s latest dive into the world of psychological thrillers, offering a mix of suspense, dark humor, and the kind of twisty narrative that has become his trademark. It’s a film that teeters on the edge of brilliance, held aloft by a stellar villainous turn from Josh Hartnett, but ultimately falls just short of greatness due to its uneven pacing and an overstuffed final act.
The film opens with a bang, immediately setting the stakes as we learn that a serial killer, Cooper (Hartnett), is on the loose. Hayley Mills plays Dr. Josephine Grant, a profiler determined to catch him at a packed concert where he’ll be hiding in plain sight with his daughter. While Mills delivers a solid performance, it’s Hartnett who completely steals the show. His portrayal of Cooper is nothing short of riveting, channeling a level of creepiness and charm eerily reminiscent of Anthony Perkins’s iconic Norman Bates in Psycho. Hartnett’s Cooper is a man fighting to keep his two worlds—loving father and cold-blooded killer—separate, and the tension of this internal battle is palpable in every scene he’s in.
Shyamalan has built a film that is both a decent thriller and a psychological trip into the mind of a man on the edge. The setup is classic Shyamalan: a clever premise that immediately hooks the audience, a tightly wound atmosphere, and a cultural milieu that adds depth to the story. The concert setting, where the bulk of the film takes place, is more than just a backdrop—it’s a living, breathing character in its own right, amplifying the tension and uncertainty of Cooper’s cat-and-mouse game with Dr. Grant.
Adding to the film’s atmosphere is the haunting vocal performance of Saleka Shyamalan, the director’s daughter, who plays the enigmatic Lady Raven. Her singing provides a haunting counterpoint to the film’s dark narrative, adding layers of emotion and tension. And, as is customary in a Shyamalan film, the director makes a cameo appearance, though this time, it feels more like a natural extension of the film’s world rather than a distracting Easter egg.
But for all its strengths, Trap is not without its flaws. The film’s pacing starts strong but begins to drag as it progresses, particularly in the final act. At nearly two hours, the film overstays its welcome, with the last half-hour feeling bloated and unnecessary. If the film had been a half-hour shorter, it might have easily ranked among Shyamalan’s finest work. Instead, it stumbles in its attempt to tie up all the narrative threads, leaving the audience with a sense of missed opportunity.
And then there are the twists—those signature Shyamalan twists that have become both his calling card and his Achilles’ heel. In Trap, the twists are borderline ridiculous, more likely to provoke laughs than gasps. But this time, unlike in some of his recent works, it feels like Shyamalan is in on the joke. The film knows it’s outlandish and leans into that messiness with a sense of self-awareness that is both refreshing and frustrating. It’s as if Shyamalan is daring the audience to embrace the absurdity and go along for the ride even as the narrative veers into increasingly improbable territory.
Ultimately, Trap is a poppy, out-of-bounds, and unapologetically messy thriller that gets by on the strength of Hartnett’s high-wire performance. He’s the film’s ace in the hole, bringing such intensity and charisma to the role of Cooper that he elevates the entire production. For his part, Shyamalan gets further on his outlandish premise than he probably deserves, thanks largely to Hartnett’s ability to sell even the most ridiculous moments with conviction.
Trap may not be Shyamalan’s best work, but it’s a gripping and inventive thriller that offers enough devilishly clever, high-tension suspense to keep audiences engaged. It could have been a real knockout with a tighter script and a bit more restraint in the final act. As it stands, it’s a flawed but fascinating film that’s worth watching for Hartnett’s wickedly charismatic performance alone.