<---Take me home!
<---Take me to the films!
<---Take me home!
<---Take me to the films!
Split (2016)
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Knock At The Cabin (2023)
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| Trap (2024)
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This is a film I really wanted to be positive on. M. Night Shyamalan has hit upon an interesting premise once again: A gay couple and their daughter are accosted by four random people at their vacation cabin and are given an ultimatum. They must pick one of themselves to be executed or else the apocalypse will begin. Of course, the family has no idea if they're being lied to and so the mind games commence. One strong aspect of Knock At The Cabin is it starts almost immediately. We're thrown into the action and then little by little we're given flashbacks so we get more backstory for our protagonists. Aside from some of these sequences not making sense in some places, I found this to be the strongest aspect of the film next to the cinematography (which at this point is a given in an M. Night film). There's a really wonderful montage towards the end that serves as a reminder of M. Night at his best visual storytelling.
Where my ambivalence comes from is how the rest of the story is structured as well as our four antagonists.
Performance wise it's pretty apparent who the strongest actors are with Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, and Ben Aldridge leading the charge. With the rest I'm not sure if the problem lies with M. Night's directing, M. Night's writing, or both. Dialogue unfortunately is more on the "tell" side rather than the "show" side. Our antagonists are introduced in a pretty clinical fashion where it feels like Shyamalan didn't know how to organically have these characters interact with one another so he gives them small "spotlight" moments. This means, right before something important is going to happen, one character suddenly gives a big exposition dump that basically outlines who they are. This is the worst when it comes to Ruper Grint's character who is given both little characterization and also one of the biggest effects on the plot, that it's really a shame that he's basically treated as an aside.
The film is also wrapped up pretty unceremoniously and also in a way that feels like Shyamalan didn't want any viewer left behind so he gets very in-your-face with the themes of the story. I do find it interesting that he doesn't go for one of his "twists" (spoilers), probably because this film is based on a novel. So I looked into the original ending a bit and I feel the more ambiguous tone of the novel as well as the greater importance placed on Kristen Cui's character works much better. Also while I'm on it, there are moments shown on TV of apocalyptic scenarios occurring and they look awful. There's one scene that really stands out as unintentionally hilarious because it's so poorly done that I really question why it had to be included in the film and not something more doable with the resources.
So despite some surprises, like the tender handling of Groff and Aldrige's relationship as well as Bautista's great performance, Knock At The Cabin was more disappointing than I hoped it to be. It's also in a middle ground where it's not ridiculous enough to be enjoyable as a bad film, and it's not nearly as good as the director's best to warrant a rewatch from me. For a better character study and thriller from the same director, I will always recommend 2016's Split.
I think it's about time I finally give Split its dues and put into writing why I've watched this film every year since it's come out. This film is intriguing to me: On one hand it has glaring issues and I can't comfortably place it alongside the cream of the crop when it comes to my favorite films of all time. On the other I think it's one of the most well realized concepts that director M. Night Shyamalan and any other director for that matter has put out. Following a LONG string of misfires and the abysmal The Visit, it was hard to be hopeful when the trailers popped up. A man with multiple personalities kidnapping three young women and using them as a sacrifice to bring about his newest personality just seemed like a recipe for disaster. Instead, Split turned out to be a refreshing return to form and one of the biggest reappraisals a famous director has had.
A lot of its success can be attributed to the fact that M. Night is working with immense talent on this picture. James McAvoy is a huge reason why this film even works in the first place. The dude gives such a memorable and considered performance as the main villain of the story. He's tasked with playing a character who shows around nine different personalities and he's able to give each one distinct enough mannerisms that you can always tell exactly who is being portrayed just through his face. Anya Taylor Joy also doesn't get enough credit for her lead role. She's so convincing when it comes to conveying genuine terror and hopelessness that even if what's occurring on screen is ridiculous I still absolutely buy the fear. There's only two glaring issues when it comes to acting and that's the other two girls. They are just terrible. Jessica Sula always looks on the verge of holding back laughter and is frustratingly muted in her performance. And Haley Lu Richardson is simply never convincing when it comes to her being scared or in danger.
Thankfully they're a smaller component of the movie and only put a damper on the first act, as bad as they may be. This film also shows a return to form when it comes to Shyamalan's visual storytelling with the help of cinematographer Mike Gioulakis. Gioulakis's use of tasteful lighting, claustrophobic framing, and fluid shots that menacingly creep towards the action lends a ton of credibility to the story. There are creative shots that allow us to learn more about our lead characters without Shyamalan needing to give us one of his exposition dumps, and it makes the film genuinely unnerving at points as it builds towards the end. I also have to give props to Shyamalan for how he considers and integrates the themes of the film within the story. The setting, the information we get through dialogue, the structure of the plot; it's refreshing to see him narrowing his scope and giving a more detailed character study than the messy ensemble films that tore him down in the eyes of fans and critics alike. And it also makes this one of the most emotionally resonant pieces he's made despite it largely being set as a thriller.
Even in the midst of his great works, I will always like Split the most because to me it captures the essence of M. Night so well. We get a thriller that's constantly building, fantasy concepts that are set in reality, an emotional character study, and a story that makes sure it satisfyingly concludes before integrating the director's signature twist. And while it still has things holding it back, like those two performances and also a maybe not so tasteful use of a real debilitating disorder; I can't help but be absorbed into this successful and uniquely produced film. Split has always been consistent, never faltering or growing in my esteem over the years. But remaining a strong reminder of how unique and interesting of a director M. Night Shyamalan can be.
M. Night Shyamalan does it again! He's made another mediocre film! I was excited for Trap not only because of the director's track record for entertaining pictures, but because the premise instantly grabbed me. A serial killer takes his daughter to a concert where police have set up a trap to catch him; it was shaping up to be a fun time whether the actual picture was good or bad. Trap did turn out to be a mess but unfortunately it wasn't that interesting of a mess. It has its blips of entertainment value (mostly because of the ineptitude), but the whole experience feels deflated by the end.
The biggest problem with Trap is its lack of focus which is instead sacrificed for a needlessly convoluted story. The whole first leg of Trap is dedicated to the concert portion of the film, which was probably my favorite part. Shyamalan and famous cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom create some interesting shots and get our imagination going for how the action is going to play out. Everything is set up pretty well and usually the payoff feels satisfying despite the film's groundedness. The set-up for the character building, however, doesn't feel justified for what is to come later in the film.
To my disappointment, Trap doesn't really capitalize on its concert setting and instead feels rushed to leave the claustrophobic environment and get to the outside world; where both our lead played by Josh Hartnett and Shyamalan himself can dabble in a heavy dose of plot convenience. Despite the film's insistence to ground itself there are many moments where it feels like Josh Hartnett gets the easy way out because he's simply "that good", when the whole point of the concert section was to put pressure and challenge him. Not only that but the film feels like it sets itself up for different climaxes and runs through all of them instead of sticking to one strong ending. It pushes all these different characters into the story all of a sudden to further characterize Hartnett but it's unnecessary if you consider his actions towards his daughter in the concert. Shyamalan pulls the "wife and children" card as well as a mommy issues backstory (a la Split) and desperately tries to wring out emotion with several monologues that have the director's classic problem of literally explaining the themes of the lead character and overall story.
Trap ultimately needed a narrower scope, something the director's best films have. It tries to fit more than it needs to and treats its audience like they're incapable of retaining information. It's a shame because tight thrillers are what we desperately need in these "two-hour thirty-minute" film times. Trap should have stuck to the concert and the few characters presented there. There's plenty of drama that can come out of a daughter, her serial killer father, a famous pop star, and a ton of cops. I'm not asking for Shyamalan to betray his uniqueness, at the end of the day I just want a satisfying story or satisfying action and I only got a sliver of both. Oh, and less of whatever Saleka Shyamalan was doing with her music.