NEW YORK, NY.- Dad, this is the literally the best day of my life, teenager Riley (Ariel Donoghue) beams to her doting father, Cooper (Josh Hartnett), in the opening minutes of M. Night Shyamalans Trap. That feeling wont last but for the first half of this mischievous thriller, were also having fun.
Riley is ecstatic to have stadium floor seats for her favorite pop icon, Lady Raven (Saleka). The childs attention is on the stage. Ours is on her father who is having visible difficulty concentrating on the show. Hes clocking the cameras, the exits, the unusual number of cops, the no-nonsense FBI profiler (Hayley Mills) muttering into her walkie-talkie. The police are hunting a serial killer named the Butcher, but all theyve got to go on is that hes a middle-aged man in this majority girl crowd. Underneath the thumping bass and the squeals, Shyamalan wordlessly clues us in that the unassuming Cooper is also a slayer desperate to escape.
Instead of telegraphing evil, Hartnett cranks up that gee-willikers likability that once trapped him as one of Hollywoods factory-stamped generic leading men. At his most devilish, hes all apple cheeks, grinning so amiably that a merch seller (Jonathan Langdon) reveals that the Butcher has his own obsessives. When no ones watching, Coopers eyes narrow at whatever is on his mind. Should he pull the fire alarm? Slip through the hydraulic lift in the floor? Can his daughter tell hes acting weird?
It takes cleverness and control to pull off this unspoken tension. Shyamalan boasts the former and feigns the latter for a while before his hot-dogging impulses take over. Hes like a guy who karaokes Hitchcock and then starts ad-libbing his own tune. Were never onboard with the premise that a 20,000-plus crowd is the perfect place to arrest an unknown man. But were willing to play along until it starts to feel like Shyamalan so enjoys being inside Coopers head that he doesnt want to leave. One fairly satisfying ending launches into encore after encore, with Shyamalan holding court past the time the audience is antsy to wrap up.
The plot is at its best when its simply a dad, a daughter and the puzzle he must solve to stay in her life. Hartnett and Donoghue have an affectionate, believable chemistry thats boosted by the young actors natural charm she doesnt hit a phony note. To root for Rileys happiness means rooting for Coopers, so every so often, particularly after weve cheered his latest brazen bit of genius, were reminded theres a victim (Mark Bacolcol) handcuffed in his murder house. Worse, whenever Cooper needs a diversion, hes willing to send a strangers daughter to the ER.
The bigger the scope and the more Coopers psychology is explained, the less taut the film feels. Theres too much unnecessary trauma talk and hallucinations. Better is the tragic beat when Riley has a once-in-a-lifetime moment but her dad is too distracted to be present. Restless thoughts ripple underneath Coopers skin. Then he feels guilty, then he realizes smiling publicly at his daughter will help him survive. Its pure silent comedy pathos.
Shyamalan captures the rhythms of a modern arena show, even squeezing in a dig at an egomaniacal surprise guest, a zesty bit of mockery by Scott Mescudi, aka Kid Cudi. Parents of Swifties will get déjà vu from the pretzels, the folding chairs, the Jumbotron and the church-like spirituality of a mass of fans holding up their lit phones to make something beautiful out of their shared pain.
Lady Ravens groupies are called, naturally, The Flock, and they have a fancy for feathered wings and glittery mesh sleeves. Shyamalans eldest daughter, Saleka, plays the star and wrote and performed original songs in the film. Shell probably take some nepo baby grief for it, especially since Shyamalan was a producer on a movie by her sibling, Ishana Night Shyamalan, this summer. But Salekas music is pretty good, a kind of ethereal Goth powered by her husky voice and a propulsive beat. Executing Cora Kozaris choreography in thigh-high boots, shes a convincing pop star and underneath her croons, you can practically hear Shyamalan whisper, I love my daughter, too. Is that a crime?
Trap
Rated PG-13 for bloodless violence and brief strong language. Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes. In theaters.
This article originally appeared in
The New York Times.