Trap is M. Night Shyamalan’s newest film, and as such, many fans went in expecting to see a massive plot twist or two. Some, however, were more skeptical because of the trailer trailer that seemingly spoiled the plot twist early by revealing Josh Hartnett’s character as a serial killer. Thankfully, Shyamalan had a few tricks up his sleeve, because Hartnett’s killer wasn’t the plot twist audiences were waiting for.
Like many of Shyamalan’s films, Trap features a few twists and turns that fans might not see coming. Most of the movie is set inside a huge pop-star concert meticulously staged to catch Hartnett’s character. However, Shyamalan is constantly playing with the audience’s expectations, leading Trap into unexpected — and often confusing — directions.
Updated on November 18, 2024, by Arthur Goyaz: The biggest trap in M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap is the one he sets up for the audience, tricking viewers into a game of cat and mouse that goes against genre conventions. This article was updated to further dissect the meanings behind Shyamalan’s creative decisions, as well as to ensure it meets CBR’s most current standards for formatting.
Trap’s Plot, Explained
The FBI Sets Up an Entire Pop Concert Only to Catch a Vicious Serial Killer
Trap follows Cooper and his teenage daughter Riley, who has tickets to see her favorite artist, Lady Raven, played by M. Night Shyamalan’s daughter in Trap, live in concert. Shortly after arriving at the venue, Cooper notices an increased security presence. Naturally, concerts feature a decent amount of security, but even by massive concert standards, the law enforcement present seems like overkill. Cooper is immediately on guard, attempting to calculate just how much security is present and why. At first, Riley is so distracted by her excitement about seeing Lady Raven that she ignores her father. As the concert goes on, she grows more and more concerned about her dad’s odd behavior.
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Eventually, Cooper makes friends with a merch seller who fills him in on what’s going on. The man tells him that the FBI caught wind that a notorious serial killer known as “the Butcher” would be attending the Lady Raven concert. Determined to catch him and finally put an end to his years-long rampage, the feds turn the entire concert into a trap for the Butcher, intending to trap him inside the venue with no way out.
Trap makes it clear right away that Cooper is the Butcher, so the entire trap was made to catch him. Every single person who leaves the venue has to go through a security check. Desperate to avoid being questioned by the feds, Cooper spends most of the concert searching for ways out of the venue without alerting the authorities or his daughter.
Trap Features Two Major Twists
Cooper Confesses That He’s The Butcher
M. Night Shyamalan has made a career out of intense movies that feature plot twists fans will never see coming. Some of Shyamalan’s plot twists land better than others, but if his name is in a film’s credits, there will be at least one major plot twist. Some fans make a game out of trying to figure out the twist before it happens and others are just along for the ride to hopefully have their minds blown. As far as Shyamalan twists go, Trap‘s are a bit milder than other movies, like The Sixth Sense or The Visit, for example. That said, there are still a few major plot twists worth noting that change the trajectory of the film’s story.
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Cooper spends a lot of the film’s run time investigating the venue to get as much information about the Butcher manhunt as possible. When he realizes there’s no way out of the building without passing through a security check, he manages to get his daughter on stage with Lady Raven. After the concert, Cooper and Riley join Lady Raven backstage, where Cooper hopes he’ll be able to leave without being questioned by the police.
Unfortunately, there’s still security posted at the backstage exits. Only Lady Raven and a few select personnel are allowed to leave without being stopped by security. Knowing there’s no other way out, Cooper corners Lady Raven in her dressing room and confesses that he is the man they’re looking for. He also shows her a live video of his latest captive and threatens to kill him if she doesn’t escort him and his daughter out of the venue.
Lady Raven knows her hands are tied, so she agrees to take Cooper and Riley out of the building. They climb into her limo and leave the venue. Cooper attempts to get her to drop them off at his car, but Lady Raven asks Riley if she can visit their home instead. Once they arrive at Cooper’s house, Lady Raven has to play a game of metaphorical chess with Cooper to keep his family and his captive safe.
Cooper’s Wife Laid the Groundwork for the Trap
She Left Concert Tickets for the Police to Find
When Lady Raven visits Cooper and Riley’s home at the end of Shyamalan’s Trap, she meets the rest of Cooper’s family. His wife, Rachel, and his son, Logan, help round out what seems like a perfectly normal, happy family. The kids don’t suspect their father of anything and, at first, it seems like Rachel also believes the best in her husband.
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After Lady Raven manages to steal Cooper’s phone and lock herself in the bathroom, Cooper’s family sees his dark side creep up to the surface. Things go south for Cooper, and he’s forced to flee. Eventually, he makes his way back to his house to confront Rachel. Rachel confesses that, at first, she suspected Cooper of cheating, but after a while, she started to suspect his late nights and odd habits were leading up to much more. What ultimately tipped her off was how he often came home smelling like cleaning chemicals used in a hospital.
Rachel followed Cooper to one of his safe houses and left a piece of the receipt for the concert tickets there for the police to find. That receipt is what tipped them off to the potential of the Butcher attending the Lady Raven concert. Without Rachel’s interference, the concert never would have been turned into a trap for Cooper in the first place.
Other Interesting Twists & Details in Trap
Trap Hints at the Butcher’s Traumatic Past
The audience learns quite a bit about Cooper through his criminal profile. Lady Raven reveals a lot of what she’s learned about the Butcher to Cooper’s family, trying to not-so-subtly hint that Cooper matches the profile perfectly. She mentions that he’s obsessed with cleanliness, likely has OCD, and probably had a complicated relationship with his mother, all of which turn out to be true. She also emphasizes that the person is likely so charismatic and normal that no one would ever suspect him of any wrongdoings.
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Cooper’s relationship with his mother is a particular fixation of his. So much so that Lady Raven ends up using it against him. When he tries to abduct her, she speaks to him with a stern and scolding voice that mimics what an overly critical mother might say to her child. At first, it seems like a ridiculous tactic, but the movie’s psychological impact works, at least for a few moments. Later, right before the police take Cooper into custody, he sees his mother standing at the front door. Naturally, she’s not there, but his hallucinating her gives the audience a little bit of insight into his relationship with her and why it had such a negative impact on him.
At the end of the movie, Cooper sits in the back of a police vehicle in handcuffs. He manages to pick the locks and free himself from the chains, and Trap ends with Cooper laughing in the police truck. This leaves the film open-ended and gives Shyamalan the potential for a sequel, something Shyamalan doesn’t often do.
Overall, Trap Is A Solid Entry Into Shyamalan’s Filmography
The Film’s Real Trap is Parenthood
Before Trap came out, viewers were convinced that the trailer spoiled a big twist about Cooper’s identity. It turns out the movie suggests he’s the serial killer the FBI is looking for right away. It’s the first of many “easy” resolutions the movie offers the audience, shaping Trap‘s entire context and perspective. One may argue that there’s a great unmade movie within Trap; one where a father and his daughter try to survive in a concert where anyone could be a serial killer. Only for the father to be revealed as the killer in the end. If one comes to think of it, this unmade movie feels way more Shyamalan-esque than Trap itself, delivering the kind of massive, yet absurd plot twist fans have come to expect from him.
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However, Trap‘s plot twists turn out to be something else entirely. Shyamalan uses predictability as an effective narrative device. The fact that none of Cooper’s absurd plans go wrong as he plans his way out of the concert is nerve-wracking, creating the opposite feeling expected from a movie like this. Cooper is meticulously crafted by Shyamalan to be a living impasse: for the most part, there’s no real discernment between the figure of a caring father and that of a manipulative killer. The lines that define evil blur. The trap of parenthood becomes a way tougher trap to overcome than the one that the FBI has set for Cooper.
Using nothing but his deceptive charisma, Cooper creates all kinds of diversions for the FBI, successfully infiltrates the backstage of the operation, uses the concert’s employees to fill him up on the situation, and manipulates the concert dynamics to make the stage his (or his daughter’s). Everything leading to the greatest Trap plot twist, the one that puts Cooper face to face with Lady Raven, happens so easily because Cooper is too good at it. He never once doubts the stupidity of the people around him, and by doing so, he gets just what he wants. That’s how cynical Shyamalan is to the entire trap that gives the movie its title.
In an age where more and more stories are told through the lens of a villain or anti-hero,
Trap
just makes sense.
Cooper’s plans fall apart when Lady Raven decides to enter the house with him. Out there at the concert, Cooper had all the odds in his favor: he didn’t feel slightly intimidated about the FBI’s megalomaniac ploy to capture him. The real trap is at home. After all, it’s where everything went wrong with him. It’s where the traumatic relationship with his mother started. Where the clutches of parenthood surround him. The final Trap twist says it all: Cooper stops to adjust Riley’s bike in an unexpected paternal gesture. However, he only does that to grab a spoke from the bicycle and later unchain himself. The final message in Trap is that once evil is let in, it’s way too easy for it to corrupt innocence.
Sometimes Shyamalan takes a big swing that results in a big miss, and sometimes he knocks expectations out of the park. Trap may not be the most twist-heavy film in Shyamalan’s catalog, but it is a strong story that deserves some recognition. It offers a creative premise that puts the audience in the shoes of a serial killer trying to evade capture. Josh Hartnett’s Cooper is cold and calculating, but he’s also charismatic and likable. Despite all of his sins, he’s also a good father who loves his children. He works hard to separate his normal life from his life as a killer, not just to protect himself, but to protect his family. In an age where more and more stories are told through the lens of a villain or anti-hero, Trap just makes sense.
Details of the plot remain under wraps, true to M. Night Shyamalan’s style. However, we know the film centers around a concert setting and explores themes of suspense and psychological manipulation. Expect unexpected turns, shocking revelations, and a chilling atmosphere.
- Director
- M. Night Shyamalan
- Release Date
- August 2, 2024
- Cast
- Josh Hartnett , Hayley Mills , Marnie McPhail , Vanessa Smythe , Saleka Shyamalan , Malik Jubal , Jonathan Langdon , Peter D’Souza , Ty Pravong , Kaitlyn Dallan
- Writers
- M. Night Shyamalan
- Studio(s)
- Blinding Edge Pictures , New Line Cinema
- Distributor(s)
- Warner Bros. Pictures , New Line Cinema
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