Modern era M. Night Shyamalan films are curious exercises in independent cinema. Since his heyday making big-budget studio twist machines (“The Sixth Sense”, “Unbreakable”, “Signs”) and upon falling into the quagmire of late aughts studio sludge (“The Last Airbender”, “After Earth”) the wunderkind who was once heralded as “The Next Spielberg” has reinvented himself as the king of the self-funded movie. From his compound in Philadelphia, Shyamalan has bet everything on himself for the last decade or so with staggering success, with “The Visit”, “Split”, “Glass”, “Old”, and “Knock at The Cabin”, all released to commercial if not always critical acclaim. While some of that batch are decidedly more effective than others (I am begging you to read the book that “Knock at The Cabin” is based on for the best version of that story), the man is sailing uncharted seas by his own monetary and artistic locomotion and bless the weirdo for it.
His latest offering is “Trap”, about a good dad/serial killer who is forced to evade a police lockdown at a concert for his daughter’s favorite pop star. Just as idiosyncratic as most of his recent, self-funded output, Shyamalan zigs and zags seemingly of his own muse; ducking story points when unenthused and resurrecting them with reckless abandon. For some, this might be exhausting. For others, like my friend who I saw the film with, the effect was exhilarating and, oddly, heartbreaking. That emotional effect can be primarily attributed to one thing and one thing only; the staggering work of one Mr. Josh Hartnett.
Once known as Hollywood’s dream boat du jour (“Black Hawk Down” & “30 Days of Night” to name some of his finer works) Hartnett dropped off the face of the Earth around 2008 seemingly to enjoy the fruits of a normal life. While he would pop up here and there, most notably on the deliciously dark and dreary “Penny Dreadful”, Hartnett was largely in the wind. That is until last year when Christopher Nolan cast him in “Oppenheimer” as the charismatic beef cake engineer Ernest Lawrence. Wearing his age and affability with aplomb, Hartnett was a standout in a three-hour opus of standouts. Now, with his work in “Trap”, he announces himself as one of the most committed and effective actors working today.
Hartnett’s Cooper in “Trap” is a goofy goober. He makes Dad jokes to his kid, proudly films her as she dances with new friends at the concert, and even defends her against passive-aggressive attacks levied by a rival child’s mother. The guy seems to be genuinely happy his daughter is having fun, the tickets purchased as a reward for her good report card. Never mind that he has a man chained to a pipe in the basement of an unregistered house. Never mind that he is actually a serial killer known locally as “The Butcher” and has twelve sliced and diced bodies in his wake. Never mind all that. Today he’s just a Dad taking his kid to a concert. However, once the cops begin their search of all the eligible psychos at the concert, Cooper is stuck between a rock and a hard place; between his love for his family and his marrow-deep desire to escape. Hartnett commits to the bit so effectively that his psychopathy is lost in the unease of his crooked grin and big, wet, earnest eyes. Shyamalan, for his part, often frames Hartnett in tight direct close-ups, the lens so wide that his face seems to be swallowing the audience whole as he stares down the barrel of our souls. If the film ever becomes overly tangled in its own web of plot, it’s Hartnett’s presence that makes the movie worth every second; like Michael Myers if he left his mask at home and had to pick up the kids from soccer practice. One scene in particular, about an hour into the film, when Hartnett’s Cooper lets the “nice guy” facade slip away for someone is categorically frightening and had me leaning forward in my chair to watch the nuances of his performance. Shyamalan, a filmmaker who has always loved and highlighted great actors, has crafted a two-hour bounty of Hartnett stew for all of us to feast upon. I say grab a spork and dive on in.
For a man who was always known for being a teddy bear in the body of a hottie, it is genuinely thrilling to see Hartnett uncorked in such an odd film for such a legendary filmmaker. Here’s hoping the streak continues as his recent resume of “Oppenheimer”, “The Bear”, and “Trap” indicates Hartnett has finally found his cinematic sweet spot.
Check out “Trap” if you’re something a little bit tense and a whole lot silly to witness the reclamation of a movie star coming into his own.
You’ll be glad you did.
“Trap” is now playing at The Broad Theater and The Prytania Theaters at Canal Place.
