Trap

I am among the contingent that's come back around on M. Night Shyamalan.

There was a time where his name on a project was enough for me to scoff. I still remember dismissing Devil simply upon seeing the tag "From the mind of M. Night Shyamalan". But last year's Knock at the Cabin caught my eye, so after years of hearing claims that he's recovered from his late aughts nadir, I finally caught up on what I'd missed. And ya know what? People were right. No, he'll never again match The Sixth Sense or Unbreakable. It's not even that all of his movies in the past decade have been good. It's just that since The Visit in 2015, he's done a much better job at finding interesting conceits and playing them out in a way that brings something unique to the table. He has something to say, and clearly has fun saying it. He can be a bit self-deprecating and self-reflective and playful, all at the same time. The burden of being hailed "the next Spielberg" has fallen away, and what's left is a guy who's damn good at suspense, even if he's not always sure how to take it home. Sometimes you get Old, and sometimes you get Knock at the Cabin, but you always have an...interesting time.

In many ways, Trap is no different. The setup is not unrecognizable in its construction: a serial killer is surrounded in an enclosed space, restricting their movement, so they must use their resourcefulness in order to find a way out. It even opens fairly normally. Josh Harnett plays Cooper, a deliciously corny dad, hopelessly lame, who's taking his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to see her favorite pop star Lady Raven (Saleka). Cooper finds out they're in the middle of a giant setup: the place is surrounded by cops and feds, and FBI profiler Dr. Josephine Grant (Hayley Mills) is hunting the killer. This setting throws a small wrench in the trope, as the large space means the killer will have plenty of room to move around, and the humongous crowd will provide many opportunities for diversions. But that just means Cooper and Riley will be spectators to a cat and mouse game, cast in the same voyeuristic role as the viewer, trying to follow the clues to unmask the killer.

Except that Shyamalan has tired of audiences trying to outguess his twists. He became so famous for them with the brilliant ending of The Sixth Sense that he felt pressure to lean into that identity. When a writer's animating force is confusing the audience, focusing more on outmaneuvering viewers than telling a strong story...well, that's how you get The Happening. So it's notable that his last few projects haven't ended with a load-bearing twist: that is, a plot point which changes your understanding of the world. While Old technically does, the movie isn't really focused on the question it resolves, so it's easy to ignore.

Here, he avoids all those issues by "spoiling" the twist himself: almost exactly ten minutes into the film, Cooper goes into a bathroom stall to check on the video feed of his basement, where he has a man handcuffed. So not only is the identity of the serial killer no longer a surprise, we're going to spend the whole time riding along with him as he tries to evade arrest. Because while the authorities have a description of "The Butcher", they don't have a picture, so identifying him won't be easy.

The journey through this maze is an absolute blast. Harnett is so in his element playing an over the top and yet somehow earnestly endearing dad. His performance takes on a new layer after the reveal, when we learn he's also performing for everyone in his life on some level. It gives new meaning to the moments when he thinks he's alone, and his whole physical demeanor changes. You can tell when he's in "The Butcher" mode or dad mode just from his body language.

This duality is one of the ways it explores the difficult balance of producing creative works with the demands of family. Throughout the concert, Cooper frequently finds excuses to leave his daughter alone at their seats while he tries to discover some subterfuge that will get him out of there. Refreshingly, she notices he's acting weird and calls him out on it, but is too distracted by the show to care too much right now. The metaphor isn't heavy handed by any means, but there's just enough for you to clock that the movie has something slightly more on his mind. For example, casting his daughter Saleka in a major role, the interactions between Cooper and Jody's Mom (Marnie McPhail), and all the stuff when his wife Rachel (Alison Pill) shows up. It's even present in his longer than usual cameo as Saleka's uncle who helps her choose an audience participant.

None of this is particularly deep, but it adds an extra dimension to a thriller that manages to stay tense throughout while also being an absolute delight. It contains just the right amount of humor to keep the proceedings light while thoroughly exploring the possibilities provided by the situation, even floating and then discarding some entertaining but unreasonable ideas (e.g. the trap door). Sayombhu Mukdeeprom's camerawork is fantastic throughout, using some incredibly claustrophobic compositions, stark lighting, bizarre and unsettling cropping, and just doing everything possible to make this one of Shyamalan's most visually exciting films. Of course, he makes liberal use of his characteristic "person looking/speaking straight to camera" shot, at times making us feel like he's reaching through the camera and into the crowd.

Which is, of course, very intentional. The moments he chooses and the words spoken are his demonstration that he knows that you know what kind of movie you're watching. They're an invitation to put yourself in the shoes of the characters more directly, to understand that they might not always make the best decisions because they're operating under a lot of pressure, and they lack all the information. But not Cooper. He's better seen as a stand-in for Shyamalan: obsessing over tiny details, trying to make use of the space as best he can, and needing to stay one step ahead of the hoards that wish to capture him and put him in [director] jail. He's more prepared and opportunistic than clever, and makes use of a couple tricks which don't exactly make sense, but does so with enough style that we're inclined to look past them.

Because that's the thing: while it has plenty of questionable moments, the energy preset from jump is enough to carry you through until things kick into the next gear, at which point it tightens up and produces some of the best scenes of the movie. The whole time, Harnett is absolutely killing it, nailing all facets of Cooper's personality, even playing the times he's phased in a very believable and consistent way. With everyone so dialed in, what's not to love?