I recently saw Trap, the newest film from the divisive director M. Night Shyamalan. The Movie stars Josh Harnett playing the serial killer Cooper, as he tries to escape a trap set by the police to catch him. Cooper, also known in the film as “The Butcher”, is a classic suburban dad, bringing his daughter to her favorite artists concert. But he quickly learns that the performance is doubling as an elaborate trap to catch “The Butcher”, whom the police know will be at the concert. As the walls slowly close around Cooper, his double life, and sadistic nature is revealed to the audience.
Cooper is a vintage example of a double, and the idea of dualism, but what’s under the surface of the character is what makes him so interesting. Despite being a crazed, and bloodthirsty serial killer, Cooper truly and genuinely loves and cares for his wife and children. He’s not the emotionally unavailable serial killer we usually see in media, and this departure from the norm is what makes Cooper a character worth analyzing.
The main conflict of the movie is Cooper being cornered by the police, but the conflict inside Cooper is mainly a desperate need to keep his two lives separate. Yes, Cooper takes pride in his ability to live two completely different lives, but his main motivation to keep them separate is his family. Cooper loves his family, and they are what gives him an identity in his public life. They view him as their loving husband and father, so getting caught would shatter their view of him, and his view of himself, leaving Cooper with no true identity. And this is exactly what happens at the end of the film.
Cooper gets exposed to his family, and this crushes him. In the first two acts of the movie the audience watches as Cooper seamlessly alternates between his two personas, but in the third act Cooper has lost everything that would identify him as “normal”. After taking a moment to say goodbye to his family, Cooper dives completely off the deep end. He’s no longer calm, cool, and collected. He’s frantic, and the film ends with Cooper escaping police custody.
The character of Cooper is a fascinating look at dualism, and how trying to flip between two personas can crumble oneself, leaving them with no identity. He is also a look at how the idea of dualism can breathe life into a character. Throughout the film, Cooper not only has to deal with escaping the arena filled with police presence, but he also has to scramble to maintain his dual personality. Without this added tension, the film likely wouldn’t work. Ultimately, Cooper is a captivating example of dualism in modern media.
- Still of the character Cooper from the film Trap. Raup, Jordan. “Trap.” 18 Apr. 2024. TheFilmStage, https://thefilmstage.com/josh-hartnett-is-caught-in-m-night-shyamalans-trap-in-first-trailer-for-concert-set-thriller/. Accessed 7 Sept. 2024.
↩︎ - Still of the characters Cooper and Riley from the film Trap. Tenreyro, Tatiana. 10 Aug. 2024. The HollyWood Reporter, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/trap-movie-true-story-operation-flagship-1235968441/. Accessed 8 Sept. 2024.
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