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Deathtrap

Play trailer Poster for Deathtrap PG Released Mar 19, 1982 1h 55m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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74% Tomatometer 19 Reviews 70% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
When once-successful playwright Sidney Bruhl (Michael Caine) sees his latest Broadway effort bomb on its opening night, he tumbles into despair -- until he receives a package from his former student Clifford Anderson (Christopher Reeve). Inside is an unproduced script that's better than anything Sidney has written in years. At the urging of his wife, Myra (Dyan Cannon), Sidney undertakes a plan to lure Clifford to his country home, murder him and then announce the script as his own work.
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Deathtrap

Critics Reviews

View All (19) Critics Reviews
Bob Thomas Associated Press Deathtrap, like many intricate stage thrillers, reveals its artifice on the screen but remains crackling good fun. Oct 22, 2018 Full Review Gary Arnold Washington Post Deathtrap seems an unusually skillful and satisfying example of devious entertainment. It offers as much double-crossing amusement as one can reasonably expect from a theatrical murder mystery. Apr 28, 2018 Full Review Bruce McCabe Boston Globe The film is marvelous claptrap, a skillfully wrought -- indeed, over-wrought -- piece of preposterous escapist entertainment. Apr 28, 2018 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews ...a solid adaptation that succeeds mostly as a showcase for the spellbinding work of its two leads. Rated: 3/4 Aug 8, 2023 Full Review Michael Bronski Gay Community News (Boston) Deathtrap is clever but largely unoriginal. Sep 15, 2022 Full Review Larry Vitacco Philadelphia Gay News Ira Levin's mystery thriller Deathtrap is beginning its fifth year on Broadway -- a certified hit. The movie version, adapted by Jay Presson Allen, is more of a hit and miss. Rated: 2.5/4 May 26, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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M B Watched for a 2nd time decades later, I found Michael Caine's constant yelling annoying- some rare over-acting on his part. But Christopher Reeve was absolutely brilliant. It's worth watching. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/28/24 Full Review Alec B As good as Caine and Reeve are they can't overcome the fact that this really needs to be done onstage in front of a live audience to be effective. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/10/24 Full Review Susan J Corny, dated, and totally stilted without intending to have that effect. It is one of those movies that feels like a community theatre production of a mediocre play. The humor is heavy-handed and artlessly "dark" and slapsticky. And: it's way too long. Give it a miss. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 10/01/23 Full Review Steve D Better than Sleuth but not by much. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 08/21/23 Full Review Dave S It becomes clear fairly early on that Ira Levin's stage play is better suited for the theater than it is for the cinema. Without giving away too much, Sidney Lumet's Deathtrap is a Sleuth-like thriller confined primarily to one location and involves murder, deception, and more than its fair share of clever twists. What keeps it from being great? Christopher Reeve seems woefully miscast, Dyan Cannon gives a truly embarrassing performance, the music score, while playful, seems inappropriate and is often nothing more than distracting, and the final revelation feels absurd. Despite all of that, it really is a lot of fun, thanks mostly to the twists and turns offered by the labyrinthine story and a fantastic performance from the always reliable Michael Caine. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/08/23 Full Review William R. P It might have worked as a comedy Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/08/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Deathtrap

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Movie Info

Synopsis When once-successful playwright Sidney Bruhl (Michael Caine) sees his latest Broadway effort bomb on its opening night, he tumbles into despair -- until he receives a package from his former student Clifford Anderson (Christopher Reeve). Inside is an unproduced script that's better than anything Sidney has written in years. At the urging of his wife, Myra (Dyan Cannon), Sidney undertakes a plan to lure Clifford to his country home, murder him and then announce the script as his own work.
Director
Sidney Lumet
Producer
Burtt Harris
Screenwriter
Ira Levin, Jay Presson Allen
Distributor
Warner Bros.
Production Co
Warner Bros.
Rating
PG
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 19, 1982, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2009
Runtime
1h 55m
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