It's a trap

M. Night Shyamalan's new thriller Trap snags viewers with a big twist

Josh Hartnett in Trap.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Writer/director M. Night Shymalan has been a big presence in movies for 25 years since the debut of his 1999 breakout film, The Sixth Sense. In 2024, he is doing everything in his power to pass his film legacy down to his daughters, first by producing The Watchers, the directorial debut of his daughter Ishana, and now by putting another daughter, Saleka, at the heart of his latest directing effort, Trap.

The thriller follows Cooper (Josh Hartnett) and his daughter, Riley (Ariel Donoghue), as they attend a concert by her favorite singer, Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan). While Riley is enthralled with the whole experience of being in the presence of Lady Raven, Cooper can’t help noticing a police presence that is larger than normal. Buddying up to a friendly vendor named Jamie (Jonathan Langdon), he discovers that the police have used the concert as a trap for a notorious serial killer nicknamed “The Butcher.”

It’s only a small spoiler (it’s featured prominently in the trailer) that Cooper is revealed early in the film to be said killer, and he spends the majority of the film trying to figure out how to escape the dragnet the police, led by profiler Dr. Josephine Grant (Hayley Mills), have planned out. His schemes get increasingly desperate, with seemingly no chance to get out without putting his daughter and others in danger.

The film is a change for Shyamalan, who typically likes to build up to a big twist toward the end of his stories. Here, the “twist” comes so early that it can’t even be considered one. Instead, it forces the audience into an odd experience of watching a lead character who has the dichotomy between being a great father to his daughter and a monster who kidnaps and kills people. Shyamalan shows both sides of Cooper throughout the film, putting him in Jekyll and Hyde mode constantly.

The story as a whole is hit-and-miss, with Cooper’s machinations being the most engaging part of the film. Some of the situations do start to get silly, especially after he nabs a police radio and starts listening to Dr. Grant lay out loads of exposition for the audience. The script is also sketchy, with Cooper engaging with a series of people in conversations that are often inane in nature, and lots of “just go with it” kinds of plot devices.

There has been much talk about “nepo babies” in pop culture in recent years, but this film might take the cake in that respect. It’d be one thing for Shyamalan to give Saleka, a budding singer in the real world, the honor of playing the massively adored Lady Raven and showcasing her songs/singing ability. But she also plays a key acting role in the second half of the film, and suffice it to say that she’s not quite ready for prime time in that area.

Hartnett is enjoying a career resurgence, with a big part in last year’s Oppenheimer and a cameo on season 3 of FX’s The Bear. His portrayal of Cooper strains believability at times, but he ends up on the positive side of the ledger when all is said and done. Donoghue doesn’t have much to do other than cheer for Lady Raven and wonder why her dad keeps disappearing in the middle of the concert, but she does well overall. The aging Mills is saddled with a raspy voice and clunky dialogue.

Trap is far from the best film that M. Night Shyamalan has released, but it’s also not an unmitigated disaster. It’s a decent thriller that could have used a bit more thrills, and a psychological trip into the mind of a man who has to fight to keep his opposing worlds separate.

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Trap is now playing in theaters.

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Music feature

Texas country star Cody Johnson's new album goes to 'Banks of Trinity'

Photo by Cameron Powell

Cody Johnson.

There's a moment at every Cody Johnson show where the Texas-born-and-bred country star asks the crowd, “How many of you tonight are watching me and this band live for the very first time?” he told The Associated Press. “And every night, I would say at least 80% of the crowd raises their hands.”

It's not the kind of reaction most veteran artists receive. “And I’m thinking, you know, 20 years is a long time to work for something. But when you see that … What’s the next 20 years look like?” he asks.

The rancher, rodeo competitor, and onetime prison guard started his two-decade career playing honky tonks and dive bars. That led to slow and steady growth for the country traditionalist, but in the last few years, something has shifted. He landed his fifth career No. 1 song with “The Fall.” He was named Entertainer of the Year at the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards, the show's highest honor. That was a month after he headlined Stagecoach Music Festival. For an artist with legions of fans, it looked like he was accessing new heights.

“I feel like I’m closing a book and I’m opening another one and it’s all blank pages,” he says of this period. “Let's get to the next chapter." On June 26, that new era began with the release of his latest album, Banks of the Trinity.

Traveling to the Banks of the Trinity
It hasn't been an easy road. Last fall, Johnson had to cancel a bunch of tour dates after upper respiratory and sinus infections caused a burst eardrum that required surgery — an intimidating medical procedure for anyone, but especially nerve-wracking for a musician. “I was scared,” he said simply. But “in a roundabout way, it’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”

It forced him to take three months off, which allowed him to be home during the birth of his son. It also rejuvenated his approach in the studio. Before the incident, he thought the album was complete. It was not. The additional time resulted in the inclusion of a few songs that now feel inextricable from the record: “Thank Somebody Country,” “Take Me Back (Leave Me There),” “Cricket on a Hook,” and the resilient “I Have” among them.

“What a blessing to have that kind of song fall in your lap when you’re kind of up against the ropes,” he says of the latter. “I mean, we thought we had the record done. It wasn’t done.”

A title track with real resonance
At the heart of Banks of the Trinity is its title track, which recalls Eagles' cover of “Seven Bridges Road” meets bluegrass and Southern gospel.

Lyrically, it's an ode to Johnson's childhood. “I grew up on the banks of the Trinity [River.] Fishing for catfish, not so much out of pleasure or sport but for necessity to put food in the freezer. Deer season for me was not a trophy thing,” he said.

And while that track inspires a feeling of nostalgia within the listener, he doesn't consider this album a throwback collection. He says it's about showcasing his evolving sonic diversity.

"The rest of the album for me is a musical journey from track one to track 16,” he said. “There’s a little bit of a flavor for everybody. It does kind of hit Motown. It does kind of hit bluegrass. It does hit progressive country. It does it old country. It does a little rock here and there.”

It's the result of a new kind of freedom, one that is at least partially due to his recent accomplishments, including taking home the top prize at the ACM Awards.

“I just did the thing that I’ve aspired to do in my career my entire life,” he says. “A really good place is a really good way to describe where I am.”

And now that the album is out, he's ready to take a breather.

“I will be shirtless with no shoes on a beach at an undisclosed location,” he jokes about the days after record release. “'Cause I have already done all the prep work. I've been working on this album for two years. I’ve done all of the interviews. I’ve shook all the hands. Me and my wife and kids are gonna disappear for 10 days and I’m gonna become, I guess, every Kenny Chesney song ever.”

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