- Josh Hartnett, Hayley Mills, Marnie McPhail
- August 9th 2024
- M. Night Shyamalan
Josh Hartnett plays a serial killer who has to evade capture at a pop concert in M. Night Shyamalan’s latest thriller.
Josh Hartnett is having something of a renaissance at the moment and he solidifies his comeback with a devilish turn in M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap.
In the Signs director’s new thriller, Hartnett stars as Cooper Adams, a family man who takes his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to a Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan) concert in Philadelphia.
During a break in the show, Cooper discovers that the whole thing is a trap for a serial killer dubbed The Butcher – and he’s The Butcher! He needs to find a way to escape the building without his daughter finding out his true identity.
What. A. Concept. Only Shyamalan can come up with ideas this audacious, unique and attention-grabbing.
The issue is, more often than not, he doesn’t know where to go with his concepts and ends up running out of gas.
Trap is no different. The film excels in the concert environment – it depicts a realistic stage show and fan girl atmosphere – but it falls apart once the action leaves the venue. From there on out, you have to suspend your disbelief because what you’re about to see is so silly and improbable that you’ll want to scoff and/or laugh.
There is simply no way Cooper can keep escaping that many times. The federal agents cannot fumble their operation that often, surely?!
Implausible twists can work when the film is self-aware and fun but Shyamalan plays this like a straight thriller so it cannot be taken seriously.
Fortunately, Hartnett grounds the ridiculousness with his game performance. The writing may be patchy, but he fully commits to his character’s dual personalities – charming family man and ice-cold killer. It was thrilling seeing the other side more towards the end.
Elsewhere, Alison Pill does a terrific job as Cooper’s scared wife Rachel and Donoghue brings the enthusiastic fan girl energy.
Shyamalan clearly made this film to promote his singer daughter Saleka, who wrote several banging songs for the film. She has a bigger role than expected and her acting is hit and miss, but she is a very good performer.
Overall, Josh Hartnett gives a committed and charming performance in this ridiculous and improbable thriller.
In cinemas from Friday 9th August.
© Cover Media