Watched in the cinema (116th visit in 2024)

According to M. Night Shyamalan, the elevator pitch for his latest film was the following: "Silence of the Lambs during a Taylor Swift concert." But the squeamish need have no fear: No humans are skinned and/or eaten in "Trap". Shyamalan has simply named one of the most famous serial killer films of all time and the setting in his pitch. The special thing about his new film, however, is that the thriller is not told from the point of view of law enforcement officers, but from that of the killer. It shows how the killer tries to escape a trap set for him.

Telling the story from the point of view of a psychopath is not really new - think, for example, of "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" with Michael Rooker or "Nightcrawler" with Jake Gyllenhaal. In contrast to these films, Shyamalan infuses his work with a large portion of humor and has fun with the convincing Josh Hartnett in the leading role.

It doesn't matter much that Hartnett's Cooper's possible solutions literally fall at his feet a little too often. Credibility is certainly not the movie's greatest strength. But the way the murderer tries out different approaches and often fails in the process has great entertainment value. With Cooper, you never know whether he's still in control or whether he's losing it and is always on the verge of panic mode. It's also pleasant how Shyamalan only hints at why Cooper is the way he is. Other films would have explained this to death, which can quickly become a drag. Trap" certainly doesn't have one.

At times, however, the movie almost feels a bit like a commercial for musician Saleka Night Shyamalan, the director's daughter, who also earns her living singing in real life. The songs written for the movie are great, but when dad Shyamalan praises his daughter to the skies, even in his guest appearance, it's a bit cringeworthy. Less would have been more.

The same applies to the last half hour, in which the plot literally frays and there are what feels like three showdowns. There are several holes in the logic here - you can tell that Shyamalan wrote the script in just five and a half months. A further revision would probably not have been a bad idea. But the movie undoubtedly benefits from the fact that it didn't take itself too seriously beforehand. Anyone who can watch it with a grin - like Josh Hartnett's, which has gone viral - has an advantage.