M. Night Shyamalan is back. The Oscar winner is diving back into the world of thriller and brings Josh Hartnett with him. The plot centers around a serial killer named “The Butcher”, who happens to be attending a concert with his daughter only to realize have targeted him at the venue. Now, Shyamalan can be hit or miss. The writer-director has been more hit lately when he’s reverted back to small scale films.
The premise itself sounds great and the cast for the upcoming film is top notch. Trap also includes Alison Pill, Hayley Mills, Ariel Donoghue, and Saleka Syhamalan. The upcoming mystery thriller is scheduled to be released in theaters on August 9, 2024. Check out the top five moments of M. Night’s Shyamalan’s latest film.
Cooper Finds Out That The Cops Are Searching For Him
Could this be a classic M. Night Shyamalan twist where the cops are searching for another killer who happens to be at the concert? Shyamalan could’ve easily made the identity of the serial killer hidden until the final act. Whatever the case may be, it the concept itself is quite intriguing. My only nitpick is that I wish Shyamalan found a clever way of Cooper finding out that the cops were searching for him beyond blatant exposition.
Still, it will be fun watch Hartnett’s character trying to scramble out of the building. The trailer mainly focuses on them listening to the concert, which is wise as it keeps the highly suspenseful moments secret, but Cooper’s reaction to the situation is perfect. Hartnett is a great actor who has proven his talents in films like Black Hawk Down and Oppenheimer, so it’s a guarantee that he’ll carry the emotional weight that his character has to battle in trying to not get caught by the cops.
Somebody, Help Me!
I’m conflicted on this scene as this didn’t need to be in the trailer. However, the premise is about the serial killer trying to escape, so it makes sense overall that Shaymalan would give away such a big detail early on. This gives Cooper a ticking time bomb on what his next plans should be.
It also leaves lingering questions about the man himself; why does he enjoy torturing and killing others? What is reasoning for committing such a heinous crime? Does he even understanding what he’s doing is vile and disgusting? The great thing about Trap is that we’re getting the perspective of the serial killer. We’ll get to understand his psyche and how he views the world through his twisted lens. This is nothing new, but under the scope of Shyamalan, he came craving this out to be something truly compelling. A great moment that highlights the uniqueness of the Oscar winner’s latest thriller.
Red Eyes
The extreme close-up shot of Hartnett’s eyes is extremely brilliant. It pretty goes into everything I stated before, as he’s processing that his world might end any second now. Hartnett’s facial expression is perfect; trying to balance the fear and panic that’s running through his mind, while trying to remain stoic and calm for his daughter, who likely doesn’t know a thing about his murderous activities.
Never Ready For It
The song is on the nose, but it perfectly captures the theme of the film. The most fascinating aspect is the dynamic with his daughter Riley. It represents that serial killers have more dimension that just being crazed murderer. He has a family that he supports and loves, and how Shyamalan brings these two worlds together can make or break the film. Is Riley the innocent bystander who happens to be caught in the middle of the situation? An interesting note is that the mother is nowhere to be seen in the trailer. Surely, that will play an important role throughout Trap. There’s some much to unpack here with the smart paring of having the serial killer being attacked at an unsuspecting moment.
Your Dad Is Never Going To Forget This Day
It’s interesting that we never get some perspective from a cop. As previously mentioned, the idea of following this situation from the serial killer perspective is strong, but there should be a lead detective so we can get a better scope of the case itself.
Nevertheless, the late montage hyping up the suspension on Cooper being trapped doesn’t showcase much, but Trap seems more like a psychological thriller that slowly burns until the climax. The fact that Cooper is trapped in one location allows for Shyamalan to do some inventive storytelling that captures the thrill of such a premise, while subverting expectations as well. We got glimpse of what could happen in the final few seconds, but the trailer does just enough to get your excited to see what happens in the full film.
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