Upamanyu Biswas
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, ‘Trap‘ is a psychological thriller revolving around a serial killer’s attempt to escape an FBI sting operation organized at a pop concert event. The film’s central protagonist, Cooper Adams, also known as the Butcher, gets boxed in while enjoying a day out with his daughter, Riley, at Lady Raven’s concert. However, his skills come in handy as he calmly tries to find a way out of his difficult predicament, further enhancing his reputation as a cold-blooded operator. Cooper’s serial killer identity lies at the heart of the narrative, with authorities and local law enforcement joining hands to bring an end to the horrifying murders committed by the Butcher! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Cooper Adams is a Fictional Serial Killer Leading a Dual Life
Cooper Adams is a fictional character conceived by writer, director, and producer M. Night Shyamalan. Although the movie derives parts of its premise from a real-life sting operation from 1985, known as Operation Flagship, a few liberties were taken in portraying the movie’s version of events. In the actual story, the authorities tricked several fugitives in Washington, D.C., into attending a football game at the Washington Convention Center, where they had been invited under the promise of free tickets. They were also given the chance to claim free tickets to the Superbowl. Instead of having an ordinary absconder as his protagonist, Shyamalan replaced the fugitives from the case with a serial killer in the film.
The character is depicted as having two separate lives – one that he maintains in front of his family, and the other is a psychopathic serial killer. For Cooper, keeping the distance between the two sides of his life is pivotal to his existence. A similar account can be found in the life and crimes of Dennis Rader, also known as the BTK Killer, who led a double life. On the surface, Rader appeared to be an ordinary, average man with a wife and children, but he was actively committing murders while still engaged in his day-to-day life. The fictional protagonist, Cooper Adams, seems to be cut from a similar cloth. However, in the movie, he is presented as a much younger man in his late 30s, which differentiates him from Rader.
In an interview with CBS News, Josh Hartnett, who plays Cooper, described the character as a loving man with something terrible brewing inside him. “This character is so delicate. The balance between the evil and the light, and it’s sort of technicolor,” he said. “I tried to keep this character as far away from me as possible. Basically it’s not necessarily serial killer first, it’s just like could I understand what it would be like to try to hide your identity, put this other facade on in front of you that you spent your whole life kind of living, but really having this deep, dark secret.” Cooper is very obsessive in his mannerisms and how he organizes his life, which helps him prepare for every possible outcome. Unfortunately, his life blows up in front of his face during the film’s events.
Additionally, the protagonist has an estranged bond with his mother, who regularly haunts him. FBI Profiler Josephine Grant explains during the film that Cooper is a profoundly different man underneath his exterior persona, something not everyone can pick up on. She surmises that his mother would have been the first person to realize how different he was, owing to his psychopathy and the monster lurking inside him. Studies conducted into the childhood of serial killers showcase that parenting styles do have an influence over the development of people who might later become serial killers. Therefore, it makes sense that a lot of the turbulence in Cooper’s psyche is born from his interactions with his mother. However, despite the various markers of authenticity, the character is ultimately a fictional creation.
Read More: Trap: Where Was M. Night Shyamalan’s Movie Filmed?
