Here's the thing about M. Night Shyamalan: He might have more misses than hits on his resume, but he is always trying something with his movies. He is not making big franchises; he has made precisely one sequel and finances his films. His new movie, "Trap," might be one of my favorites of his recent output.

Cooper (Josh Hartnett) and his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) are at a concert. Cooper finds out that there is a large police presence and that they are trying to catch the serial killer known as "The Butcher." Here's the thing...Cooper is "The Butcher."

That is not a spoiler; it is the main crux of the trailer.

I am not a huge Shyamalan fan. He had some early successes, but he hasn't made anything approaching the quality of "The Sixth Sense" or "Unbreakable" in well over a decade. His movies tend to fall apart in the third act, and this one does, too, but what comes before it is compelling enough that I can overlook some of the head-scratching decisions that plague the final third of this movie.

Hartnett is the main reason to see this movie. He effortlessly switches between a dorky dad and a calculated killer. The scenes where Cooper is in the middle of figuring out how to get out of the area, gets interrupted, and has to be a dad are fantastic to watch. You can see Cooper blend into any situation and play the role he needs to at the time, and Hartnett is incredible.

No one is doing what Shyamalan is. He makes mid-budget thrillers for adults and finances his movies himself. I greatly respect him, even though many of his films are half-baked. "Trap" is one of the better half-baked movies he has made recently.

8/10

Rated PG-13 for some violent content and brief strong language

1h 45m