M Night Shyamalan’s latest thriller falls into a trap of its own making.

The Shyamalan family is having quite the 2024, with M. Night producing his middle daughter’s directorial debut The Watched and now devoting an entire film to showcase his eldest daughter’s musical aspirations in Trap. One can only assume his youngest daughter is in line for a new pony or something to cap off this festival of M. Night favouritism.

Given that the marketing for Trap effectively gave away most, if not all, of the salient plot details, it’s hard to escape the sense of droit de descendant that permeates the movie. With the audience going in already knowing that Cooper (Josh Hartnett) is a serial killer who’s taking his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to a pop concert by her favourite artist (Saleka Shyamalan) that’s been turned into a trap, you might be wondering what, if any, twists the famously tricksy director can have in store. Well, there’s certainly a rug-pull about halfway through the film that’s a little unexpected as the focus shifts to an entirely different protagonist, but rest assured there is still an actual twist right at the end, although it’s delivered in such a low-key way that it feels like an afterthought when it could have been a real defining moment.

Trap undeniably has a great premise, although equally undeniable is that the film as presented doesn’t make the most of the idea. Perhaps the most disappointing thing of all is that the trailers really do just spell out what’s going on rather than creating the circumstances for Shyamalan to subvert the expectations marketing has created. That the film remains entertaining even when devoid of revelations is due in large part to a great performance from Josh Hartnett, who grounds the high-concept hijinks with a beguilingly mercurial performance that expertly blends sociopathic serial killer with doting dad. You know he’s a maniac, but you still can’t quite help but root for him.

Shyamalan’s direction shines in the film’s early stages, particularly within the confines of the concert venue, creating an atmosphere thick with tension that ebbs and flows around little character moments as you wonder when Cooper’s composure might break and all hell will break loose.

It’s the decision to shift focus away from the concert setting, where the film’s suspense is most palpable, that shifts the entire dynamic of the movie, moving the focus off of Cooper and onto Saleka Shyamalan’s Lady Raven, a character who should be central to the unfolding chaos never quite commands the screen in the way the film needs her to before the torch is passed to a third protagonist. Meanwhile, Hayley Mills of all people wanders around in an FBI jacket making vague pronouncements that suggest the science of profiling has a more in common with horoscopes than you might think.

In the end, Trap settles comfortably in the middle of Shyamalan’s oeuvre, albeit perhaps disappointingly because it feels like it could have been one of his best if it had a little more polish and a little more discipline. As a showcase for generic R&B music, it is passable (fourteen songs were apparently written especially for this film—I challenge you to identify where each one ends and another begins though), and as a thriller, it’s pretty good. As both, though, it’s a muddled mess that can’t quite balance its two identities as skilfully as Josh Hartnett’s Cooper can.