A year and a half after "Knock at the Cabin", and barely two months after "The Watchers", the first film directed by his daughter Ishana Shyamalan, which he produced, the prolific M. Night Shyamalan is back with "Trap", his sixteenth feature film.

With "Trap", he innovates completely by shooting a film from the villain's point of view and announcing it right from the launch of the trailer. A surprising fact for the king of the final twist.

Described by the filmmaker as "The Silence of the Lambs at a Taylor Swift concert", "Trap" takes place during a concert by pop star Lady Raven, played by his other daughter Saleka Shyamalan. 30,000 spectators. 300 police officers. One killer. Cooper, a father and serial killer, finds himself trapped by the police in the middle of a concert. Will he escape?

And it's Josh Hartnett, a leading actor of the 2000s, who plays the serial killer nicknamed The Butcher. A surprising role for the one who played a hero in Pearl Harbor.

On the occasion of the promotion of the feature film, we were able to talk to the actor who tells us: "M. Night felt that I could flourish in this film and make the character someone the audience wants to follow. It's a rather unusual film. M. Night Shyamalan always does that. He takes a genre, that you think you know, he turns it upside down, and he offers you a new perspective. So you see the genr...

A Promising Premise That Turns into a Damp Squib

After producing his youngest daughter's first feature film, M. Night Shyamalan makes a sumptuous showcase for his eldest. Good paternal intentions, but that doesn't mean that the enterprise (Shyamalan and daughters?) is destined for success: "The Watchers", by Ishana Night Shyamalan, was received rather tepidly; and, featuring, among others, singer-songwriter Saleka Shyamalan, "Trap", written and directed by the family patriarch, starts with a promising concept that turns into a damp squib.

To say that 25 years ago, in "The Sixth Sense", the same man had managed to surprise everyone with a kid who saw the dead. In 2002, on the cover of Newsweek magazine, he was even announced as "the next Spielberg." Since then, he has disappointed most of the time (Old, Knock at the Cabin), while retaining a base of loyal followers who don't lose hope. Because there is always something in his projects, like a promise, a seed of potential waiting to blossom. Before hitting a wall.

This is the case with "Trap". The trap in question (inspired by a real operation) was set for a serial killer, The Butcher (Josh Hartnett), who police have been tracking for seven years. Hope is rekindled for law enforcement when they discover that the killer is going to accompany his daughter (Ariel Donoghue, sparkling with naturalness) to Lady Raven's (Saleka Shyamalan), a Taylor Swift-like star, concert. The SWAT team and profiler Dre Grant (Hayley Mills, underused in an underwritten role) therefore arrive at the stadium full of screaming teenagers and understanding parents, many of whom are dads. Armed with a cursory description, they hope to get their hands on the monster. Who benefits from the crass stupidity of the stadium staff and the police, as well as from a string of coincidences heavily arranged by the guy behind the camera.

Shortly after the beginning, we have difficulty believing it. And things aren't getting any better. They even get worse from second to second until they become laughable, and crash into the over-explanatory conclusion that nobody needed. Unlike the police, we understood.

It's unfortunate, but M. Night Shyamalan (who briefly plays Lady Raven's uncle), whose talent (because he has it) shows here and there, rarely manages to create an atmosphere of real tension. As for Josh Hartnett, he is credible as a caring father (the father-daughter relationship is well written and when you see what the filmmaker does for his daughters, you understand why); and pretty comfortable in his version of Mr. Hyde. But still a long way from an Anthony Hopkins—since the director presented his film as "The Silence of the Lambs taking place during a Taylor Swift concert."

As for Saleka Shyamalan, she is formidable on stage and her compositions are catchy. Except that the young woman is not a great actress, especially (especially?) as her scriptwriting part consists of a succession of gestures without an ounce of credibility. In the end, her father built a luxurious showcase for the musician... and, for the actress, set a trap.

M. Night Shyamalan's "Trap": A Conversation with the Director

It has become his habit to lock these characters up in recent years. After the cursed beach of the thrilling "Old" and the cabin in the woods struck by the Apocalypse in "Knock at the Cabin", M. Night Shyamalan transforms in "Trap", in theaters this Wednesday, August 7, a place usually full of magic into a formidable playground for an unusual father. To reward his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) for her good school report, Cooper (Josh Hartnett) takes her to see the sold-out concert of her idol, pop star Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan). What he doesn't know is that this show is actually a massive police operation to arrest him. Because beneath his angelic appearance, he is actually a terrifying serial killer nicknamed The Butcher.

M. Night Shyamalan couldn't have made a better choice by entrusting this troubled character to the too-rare Josh Hartnett, the cornerstone of a film that blurs the boundaries of genre but gets lost a little in its last act. Sometimes funnier than disturbing, this thriller born from an original idea by the American director - the first after two adaptations - is worth watching just for the intense score of his star and the immersive concert experience it offers. With his camera at spectator height installed in the middle of the seated pit, the filmmaker keeps us in our seats as much as he traps his hero to the rhythm of original songs composed by his eldest daughter Saleka Shyamalan. It is this musical aspect that we wanted to discuss with him during a meeting conducted via Zoom from London.

Would you say that the most frightening aspect of "Trap" is probably the fact that serial killers can also be excellent fathers?

(Laughs) Not just that point specifically, it's the fact that they're among us. They do a great job of convincing us that they're the great neighbor who brings the potato salad to the barbecue, the one who watched your dog. They're so loving and so reliable. They're the boyfriend, the neighbor, so… It's very scary to think that your nervous system isn't activated. There's no indication of any kind that they're just monsters.

When your previous film "Knock at the Cabin" was released, you told us that "the nicer the actors are in real life, the more frightening they are on screen." That's exactly what we feel in front of Josh Hartnett in "Trap". What surprised you the most about him on set?

He has an instinct for the colors of the film that are fun and dynamic. He wants to be naturally playful. All of that was in the script. He kind of pulled it out of the script and embraced it to amplify those aspects.

He has this ability to change expression in an instant in his eyes, on his face...

He has no filter, just as a human being. So if you say to him, "Did you like that meal?", you see everything on his face. Even if he says "it was good", his face says something else.

"Trap" takes place in a concert hall and perfectly conveys this collective experience, it's very immersive for the audience. To what extent was this filming immersive for you as a filmmaker?

We actually organized a concert, that's why it looks like it (laughs). It wasn't fake, it was absolutely real! Saleka wrote an album for the film, we choreographed the whole thing. We designed costumes, we chose themes. I directed the cameras to film the concert live. We could organize it in real life, I repeat but it's a real concert! Then, I set up the cameras for the film and I gave the go-ahead to Josh Hartnett and Ariel Donoghue by telling them, "Ok, let's shoot the scenes I wrote while this concert is going on". It was really fun to work like that, to have a real show going on while we were playing the script.

How many extras were there around you for these scenes?

I can't count them! There were a lot, we just moved them from one set to another. They brought such great energy. They were very enthusiastic because every day, we had a new song and they were very involved. They knew all the music we gave them beforehand. The extras got a real concert too, a concert that lasted for a month but they had it!

You can't help but think about Taylor Swift's "Eras Tour" in front of this Lady Raven concert. A fan is chosen to go near the stage, the spectators wear glow sticks but no friendship bracelets...

Yes, yes, Josh had one (laughs)!

Did you get inspired by the "Eras Tour" or did you draw from your own memories of being a father at concerts with your three daughters?

It was a mix of all that. I watched some of Taylor Swift's recent concerts but also Justin Bieber's. I think they're both leaders in their relationship with their audience. It's so intense, how do they nurture it? How do they show respect and love for their fans? What tools do they use to make the experience immersive for them?

I examined that pace and saw the one that would work. Part of it comes from Taylor, another part from Adele too. There's a net that falls on the main character in "Trap". She sings inside then this image is projected onto this net around her. That, that comes from an Adele concert. We were able to see it before it became gigantic. She came to sing in our city (Philadelphia, editor's note) and the kids were able to meet her. She was probably 22 or 23 years old at the time. It was so nice to see someone who was incandescent in her relationship to music and about to explode.

"Trap" (1h45) by M. Night Shyamalan and starring Josh Hartnett - currently in theaters