Trap isn’t just a great thriller, it’s an excellent Hitman movie

19 minutes after I started watching, something started to feel strangely familiar to me. TrapThe latest horror thriller from director M. Night Shyamalan. The film stars Josh Hartnett as Cooper, a seemingly ordinary father with a secret life as a notorious serial killer who discovers that the pop idol concert he attended with his daughter is actually an elaborate trap designed by the FBI. to arrest him. Having been tipped off to the plot by an overzealous concert vendor, Cooper begins searching for any way to escape the venue without arousing his daughter’s suspicions.

“Huh, this is kind of familiar,” I thought to myself as I watched Cooper push a woman down the stairs to distract two police officers guarding a door. As Cooper’s escape attempts became more erratic and ludicrous, it finally dawned on me: I wasn’t just watching an M. Night Shyamalan movie, I was watching the cinematic equivalent of the Master Assassin’s perma-death movie. Hitman: World of Assassination.

If you’re unfamiliar with the premise of games, here’s the gist: In Hitman, you play as Agent 47, a bald, suave contract killer who travels the world assassinating high-profile targets on behalf of a secret organization operating. for the highest bidder. Nearly every mission in almost every game in the Hitman series plays out the same way: You infiltrate a location, track down your target, execute him in any way you see fit, and then promptly get out without being seen, caught, or killed. period.

Of course, as anyone who has played a Hitman game will tell you, there is much more to the game than just killing. Hitman: World of Assassination A stealth game, yes, but also a silly puzzle game. The goal of each mission is the same, but the variability of locations and the nature of each objective require something else on the part of the player besides ruthless execution: situational awareness, the ability to improvise, and, above all, a sense of creativity that influences the series’ brand of dark humor.

Don’t be fooled by 47’s stylish three-piece suits, the play’s operatic soundtrack, or its exotic and picturesque locations filled with brooding fashionistas and sullen villains. Every mission in Hitman is filled with a dozen or more Rube Goldbergian death traps just waiting to be thrown at an unfortunate target; not to mention the many unique (read: ridiculous) disguises one can discover and wear during the game.

Cooper is not a hitman; he is a high-functioning sociopath and serial killer. Even if the differences are small, no two are the same. Although Cooper and Agent 47 differ in their respective professions, they have a surprising amount in common in terms of their modus operandi, as can be seen throughout much of their runtime. Trap. Like 47, Cooper has an almost supernatural ability to spot points of interest; Cameras, locked doors, armed security guards, everything that would surprise you in a video game is right before Cooper’s eyes.

Once he senses he is in danger, Cooper’s entire outward demeanor shifts from dorky dad facade to murderous focus, looking for every possible opportunity to escape and pursuing it with dogged determination. Whether it’s stealing a kitchen uniform, removing the key card from an unsuspecting produce vendor, sneaking past a group of heavily armed SWAT members and stealing one of their radios to listen in, or setting off a terrifying explosion as a distraction to get past a crowd of onlookers. Cooper displays the kind of cunning, cunning and, yes, creativity that fans of the Hitman series may recognize from their time playing as Agent 47.

There have been two film adaptations of the Hitman series to date: 2007’s hitmanFilm starring Timothy Olyphant and remade in 2015 Hitman: Agent 47Starring Rupert Friend. While both have unique takes on the game’s aforementioned master assassin, neither quite hits the mark when it comes to tapping into the dark sense of humor that’s one of the more low-key but essential components of the series’ overall tone.

Previous cinematic adaptations of Hitman left much to be desired in this respect. Trap It stands out thanks to Shyamalan’s mastery of perverse absurdity. Trap A tense movie, yes, but also A lot funny one. It’s an interesting premise that a serial killer is unwittingly trapped in an operation, but what makes it funny is that the same killer is also the painfully weird and constantly dominating father of a young girl. Combine this with his uncanny ability to win the good graces of nearly everyone he meets, and his barely repressed despair and rage at being caught in the clutches of federal authorities, and Shyamalan’s film creates a story that deftly treads the needle between humor and horror. Watching it unfold is both a fun and surprising experience.

Every action Cooper took while trying to escape Lady Raven’s concert felt like I was watching my own panicked improvisations as I failed one of Hitman’s many “Mission Stories”; The reveal shows Agent 47 taking place contextually during a mission. it gives him the opportunity to achieve his goal faster (and often ridiculously).

Despite Cooper’s frequent missteps, he and Agent 47 have one more trait in common: perseverance. No matter what happens, no matter how spectacularly events hit fans, Agent 47 never gives up until the job is done; It’s a fact that often creates some of Hitman’s funniest and most memorable moments. From chandeliers crashing into fashion show walkways to rogue surgical robots eviscerating potential patients, 47’s determination to eliminate his targets manifests itself in ways that often push the believability of their execution to the limit. With that in mind, a serial killer trying to escape a pop idol concert without being caught by the police sounds exactly like the scenario that would play out in a mission from Hitman.

He may not be as cool and collected as his video game friend when the odds are against him, but Cooper somehow always finds a way to come out on top. He really missed traveling the world as a hitman. Oh well; maybe consider a career change Trap 2 happens all the time.

Trap is currently available to stream on Max.