Josh Harnett is Creepy and Convincing as Cooper in Shyamalan Thriller Trap

Thrillers always have extenuating circumstances one could never even contemplate in the wildest of scenarios. Imagine your teen daughter begging her beloved father to take her to the latest Beyoncé or Taylor Swift concert only to discover the whole setup is a trap for a notorious, blood thirsty serial killer – and the person authorities are trying to capture is your Dad.

Far fetched?  Just a tad, but Shyamalan has earned a cinematic reputation for creating such outlandish scenarios which have worked thus far and this one is no different. Mostly centered in the concert setting, infused with a good amount of humor to break the scene work, M. Night Shyamalan hits audiences with an enjoyable thriller that never really takes itself too seriously.  For me, it felt like if Psycho and Purple Rain had a baby it would be TRAP.

As Lady Raven, Saleka Shyamalan’s screen presence is undeniable as are her songwriting skills that tout 14 tracks she also produced and perform in the film.  The camera loves her face picking up on the simple, nuanced manner she chose to inhabit the character.

Josh Hartnett is amazingly creepy as Cooper giving me vibes of Anthony Perkins in Hitchcock’s Psycho.  He is just stealth and easy going enough to unsettle the audience on the edge of their wondering what his next move may or may not be.  It was not lost on me that the iconic and legendary Hayley Mills served as serial killer profiler – Dr. Josephine Grant.  Mostly and highly identified with the Disney brand though her signature role in The Parent Trap, watching Mills be cool as a cucumber while trying to get her man is quite intriguing.  With most films, the person doing the hunting are mostly males seeking out another male – with both having issues with one another from a previous encounter (ie The Fugitive).  So, it was refreshing to witness a woman in this role who could speak to the Mommy issues our character obviously in shrouded with.  Harnett’s performance is enhanced by the extreme close up framing where the audience can literally have a front row seat to what is possibly going through Cooper’s mind.

If I had one criticism, it would be at the end of the film when Cooper is finally confronted by law enforcement where he asked to stop and proceeds to use his OCD replace a bike on the ground that has fallen over.  In what world would anyone accused of murder be able to first of all request to stop, actually do it and then pickup a bike.  Part of me feels like it might be an undercover nod from the filmmaker to passive aggressively illustrate the grave injustices with our legal system while spotlighting the privilege Cooper has as a white man in this world.

Having said all of that, TRAP is a good time and one of Shyamalan’s most intriguing films for me since OLD. Oh yeah, stay for the end credits – you don’t want to miss that last button.