Trap Review

If I have one guilty pleasure, it is watching M.Night Shyamalan Films. So in the summer of 2024, in a seaside cinema and eating pizza, (yes the cinema had its own pizza oven!) myself and JJ watched Trap for the first time.

Spoiler we both liked it!

Anyway on with the review...

Script/ Screenplay

Trap marks a bold shift for M.Night Shyamalan, the self-appointed sorcerer of cinematic twists (that was a tongue twister!) We, the audience get to see the twist early on in the film, as Shyamalan appears to lay’s all his cards on the table.

It’s no spoiler to say the core of Trap revolves around a serial killer, known as The Butcher, trying to stay one step ahead of the law, while chaperoning his daughter to a Lady Raven concert (more on that later). The trailers spilled that much already—and frankly, that choice alone is fascinating. Why give away the twist? Maybe the real tension isn’t about the first discovery, but what comes later.

That upfront reveal lulls us into expecting a tense game of Die Hard-style evasion and escape. I began to hope for a desperate John McClane-esque showdown as one man takes on the law in the confines of an Arena. But alas we don’t get any “Yippee-ki-yay” here. Instead, Shyamalan swerves the narrative into a different territory. Chaos and explosions are replaced by psychological dread, wrapped in tension.

What begins as a sugar-coated outing—dad and daughter time, pop star worship, gradually transforms into something sinister. This slow-burn suspense is Shyamalan channelling his inner Hitchcock. Slowly revealing that the Butcher’s (Cooper) internal conflict is simmering under the surface.

Shyamalan keeps the pacing restrained, letting the camera linger as the titled ‘Trap’ tightens. So the game begins: the FBI is the cat. Cooper, all smiles and dead eyes, is the mouse. But this time, the mouse knows it’s being hunted—and has no intention of running.

A Killer’s Perspective

What makes Trap so fascinating is how the story centres on Cooper.

When you think of iconic serial killer films like The Silence of the Lambs (1991) or Se7en (1995), the story tends to be told form the law enforcement POV, such as FBI profiler, the detective, or the pursuer. The audience rides shotgun with the investigator, piecing together clues, while the killer lurks in the shadows. This structure builds suspense through discovery.

But with Trap, Shyamalan defies convention. The film plants us firmly in the shoes of The Butcher, inviting us to experience the tension from his point of view. We’re not guessing who the killer is—we know. And because we know, we watch the net tighten, moment by moment, from the inside creating psychological claustrophobia.

This pivot not only amplifies the dread, but it also forces a morally queasy empathy. We’re aligned with Cooper’s perspective, even if we don’t like his actions. It's a narrative trait seldom used in this genre, making Trap more than just another cat-and-mouse thriller—it’s a mouse’s-eye view of the trap slowly snapping shut.

The Script Stumbles

Shyamalan’s screenplay occasionally stumbles into implausibility. One glaring example: Cooper casually strolls into a police force briefing where police are actively discussing The Butcher’s profile. He makes himself a coffee, listens in, and walks out -completely undiscovered. Yet later, the moment he steps onto a rooftop, two officers immediately interrogate him, perhaps he should have taken them a coffee?

Another odd choice is the concert itself. While Cooper plays his game of cat and mouse, his daughter remains blissfully immersed in Lady Raven’s performance. But what’s weird is the sheer number of people wandering the arena mid-show. From merch vendors with no security awareness, spilling the beans and casually’ asking are you the butcher?’ to security staff and lots of random people walking about. The venue feels more like a shopping centre than a tightly packed concert. Is that normal? Surely not.

Family & Identity

One of the threads of Cooper’s personality that Shyamalan pulls heavily on is his relationship with both his daughter Riley and his wife.

Cooper has a carefully curated family life. To the outside world, he’s a heroic firefighter and doting father. This makes Cooper no threat to anyone, and he uses this as a convincing disguise. Beneath this normal guy persona lies a predator comfortable with using his Daughter as collateral. Riley idolizes her dad and is brimming with teenage innocence as she experiences her first concert and has no inkling her father is The Butcher hiding in plain sight.

But this dynamic creates tonal tension. By placing Cooper’s daughter centre-stage at the concert, Shyamalan boxes himself into a narrative corner. Riley becomes a passive story point; Shyamalan uses her more for emotional deflection than any meaningful development. There are attempts to flesh out her character through some unseen teenage drama but at most they are used to create tension in Coopers predicament and feel underwritten.

There’s unrealised potential in Riley’s role. She could have been a mirror to Cooper’s inner fracture, or even a conscience of sorts. Instead, she’s mostly reduced to a narrative prop.

Shyamalan touches a compelling idea—that even monsters maintain masks but as soon as the masks drop for Cooper and his wife this concept feels like a lost opportunity.

Creative Genius

Traditionally, the third act in a Shyamalan film is where the rug gets pulled—the twist, the big reveal, the “ah-ha” moment that redefines everything before it. But in Trap, Shyamalan plays a different hand. Rather than unveiling a seismic twist, he uses the third act to shift the tone, dramatically scaling down the story’s scope from the sensory overload of a packed concert arena to a tighter, more intimate atmosphere.

This stylistic pivot isn’t just a change of scenery. It’s a deliberate move to draw focus inward, resolving character beats and narrative threads seeded earlier in the film. As the concert fades into the background, so too does the spectacle, making way for Shyamalan to play with pop culture references and inject a surprising dose of dark humour.

The move feels both theatrical and introspective—offering a stripped-back confrontation that continues to highlight the psychological tension spotted at the beginning of the film rather than relying on visual bombast. It’s a subtle flex of creative control, reminding audiences of two things - not every climax needs explosions and that Shyamalan is still the master of twists. Sometimes a trap works best when it finally closes.

Casting

Here are my thoughts on 3 of the cast of Trap

Josh Hartnett as Cooper

Josh Hartnett absolutely nails the role of Cooper. A firefighter and devoted father, who secretly lives a double life as the serial killer known as The Butcher.
It’s a complex character—stoic yet slippery, paternal yet predatory—and Hartnett carries it with an unsettling ease.

Harnett makes it easy to believe that The Butcher has operated under the radar for years. He doesn’t just disappear into crowds—he blends. He adapts, calculates, and executes with a subtle confidence that makes him terrifyingly believable. But it’s not just what Harnett does—it’s how he looks doing it. In a genre often dominated by flamboyant psychopaths, Hartnett gives us a performance that is more restrained—and arguably more disturbing. Using micro-expressions and tightly controlled body language to elevate Cooper beyond caricature. It’s captivating to see how Hartnett’s eyes tell a story all their own: somewhat cold and calculating, but occasionally flickering with fragments of guilt or love, crafting a villain who’s is slightly haunting.

Saleka Shyamalan as Lady Raven

The global pop sensation headlining the concert that doubles as an FBI sting.

As Taylor Swift once sang Haters Gonna Hate, and when Trap first came out I remember reading unflattering comments about Saleka’s acting ability, family connections and self-promotion of pop career. I also remember leaving Trap and thinking that none of it was justified.

Put yourself in M. Night Shyamalan’s shoes: you’ve got a daughter with some musical talent, who’s grown up on film sets, surrounded by actors, and understands the movie industry. Wouldn’t you build a platform for her to shine? Of course you would.

What I find most interesting about Saleka’s debut, is that she brings a rawness to Lady Raven. Have you ever seen a pop star being interviewed? Half the time they look clumsy, rehearsed, or completely unprepared. Heaven forbid they try acting—cue the cringe.

Just look at Madonna in Swept Away or Mariah Carey in Glitter. Both are icons on stage, but on screen? Their performances were panned for being wooden, overly dramatic, or just baffling.

That’s why Saleka’s portrayal feels grounded. She doesn’t try to be a polished Hollywood lead—she leans into the vulnerability and goes for an awkwardness and naivety that feels authentic rather than forced and that makes Lady Raven more believable than most fictional pop stars. That being said, I question is this all a well planned and executed character created in collaboration with her father, or is she simply leaning into her acting inexperience to get the result? I really cannot say.

Hayley Mills as Dr. Josephine Grant

The last casting/character I want to talk about Dr. Grant. No, not the one that has an unholy obsession with Raptors. This Dr. Grant is a seasoned FBI profiler with a mind like a scalpel. Played with quiet authority by Hayley Mills, she’s arguably the second most compelling character in Trap, right behind The Butcher himself.

From the moment she steps out of the FBI van, Mills exudes gravitas. She’s not just another agent barking orders—she’s the one who knows. Her profile of The Butcher is so precise it borders on psychic, and yet the film never fully explains how she got there, and I want to know.

We’re told she’s caught over ten serial killers in her career, and her reputation precedes her. She’s described as a legend in her field. This is Salman’s, Clarice Starling. Mills gives her the calm confidence of someone who’s seen it all and doesn’t need to prove anything. Her performance isn’t flashy, but it’s felt. Every line carries weight, as if drawn from decades of experience. Especially in the final act, where she uses Cooper’s childhood trauma against him. In one scene, she even appears to him as a hallucination of his mother, blurring the line between profiler and psychological manipulator. It’s chilling, and it works.
Mr Shyamalan if you are reading this* I would love to see a film centred on Hayley Mills’s Dr Grant catching bad guys. A prequel – this would be amazing!

One final thought on the casting of Hayley Mills, whether intentional or just serendipitous, this casting adds another dimension to the film’s title.
Trap becomes not only a plot device but a cinematic echo—a clever nod to Mills’ legacy and a quiet laugh for film buffs like me that are paying close attention. Why I hear you ask. Well Hayley Mills is the original star of Disney’s The Parent Trap (1961), in a film literally called Trap? That feels like M. Night Shyamalan winking straight at the audience.

* I doubt it, but you never know!

Sound Music and Score.

There are two points to discuss. The first most obvious is Saleka Shyamalan.
Saleka wrote 14 songs for the film (all went onto a second studio album titled Lady Raven). Although primarily they are the pop concert backdrop, actually the songs reflect the emotions and activity on screen at the time. A clever use of song writing. As a burgeoning singer all are delivered with believability and lends an air of credibility to the film. In fact Director M. Night Shyamalan wanted the concert scenes to feel “alive and messy,” so he staged a full-scale live performance featuring Saleka Shyamalan (playing Lady Raven) in front of thousands of extras. These extras were given the music ahead of time so they could react authentically, creating a genuine concert atmosphere.

The concert scenes were shot at First Ontario Centre in Hamilton, Ontario—a 17,000-seat arena that doubled as the fictional Tanaka Arena. Shyamalan filmed the performances live, synchronising Saleka’s songs with the actors’ dialogue and crowd reactions in real time.

The second point is the haunting score by - Herdís Stefánsdóttir, Her compositions are minimalist and haunting, using subtle musical motifs to underscore Cooper’s paranoia and the tightening trap. It’s well composed and ensures that the concert is not overshadowed by the underlying score.

Cinematography

Cinematography by Sayombhu Mukdeeprom’s
You can tell a lot of thought went into how Trap would be filmed—and how Sayombhu Mukdeeprom’s cinematography complements Shyamalan’s shifting script tone. As the film progresses, the vibrant neon palette of the concert gradually fades into muted blues and dusty beiges, reflecting Cooper’s descent and tightening emotional claustrophobia. It’s subtle, but unmistakable.

Mukdeeprom deploys some deceptively simple techniques to heighten immersion. During the concert scenes, his lens lingers on the arena screens rather than Lady Raven herself. It’s a clever, grounded choice—because that’s exactly where your eyes would go in a real concert. That grounding makes the surreal backdrop feel strangely authentic.

Equally compelling is how Mukdeeprom lights Josh Hartnett’s expressions—often with ambient glow from the screens or strobes. It’s in these fleeting moments that Cooper’s fractured psyche flickers across his face. The shadows, the soft blinks of light—it all serves to amplify The Butcher’s unnerving presence without ever screaming for attention.

Mukdeeprom really flexes his skill with the arena shots, Shooting on film, he manages light levels so precisely that even the arena’s darker corners appear legible and textured. The space breathes, even when cloaked in tension.

Visual Effects

The goal was realism, not spectacle and I think that was achieved perfectly. This film didn’t need to be a VHX powerhouse, but using it to fill out the Arena and the Atriums for example was a useful implementation

The costumes had a stark contrast in styling between Lady Raven’s pop culture references, echoing artists like Rihanna and Beyonce, while Cooper’s plainness makes his menace all the more chilling. A job well done.

Overall thoughts

Trap is far from a conventional thriller. It’s an ambitious mix of genre tones, visual experimentation, and musical swagger. Shyamalan swings for the fences, telling the story from the perspective of the killer rather than the hunter, and that narrative pivot gives the film a unique flavour. Whether it’s Josh Hartnett’s haunted gaze, Saleka’s ethereal pop performances, or Hayley Mills turning the trap into a mind game, the cast elevates the concept.

That said, there are flaws. Some scenes stretch believability, and the pacing isn’t always airtight. But when Trap works, it works because it’s trying something bold—and for that, it earns a The Silver Hedgehog Rating of 4.8 ...

The Silver Hedgehog Rating: 4.8 'Recommended'

The Script / Screenplay
🦔🦔🦔🦔
Casting

🦔🦔🦔🦔🦔

Sound Quality

🦔🦔🦔🦔🦔
Visual Effects and Costumes

🦔🦔🦔🦔🦔

Cinematography

🦔🦔🦔🦔🦔

Sometimes a trap works best when it finally closes.

Words Garry
Editor JJ
Images The Movie Database

You might like our other Film Reviews.

Support our website with a coffee.