Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Pitfall

Play trailer Poster for Pitfall 1948 1h 24m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
80% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 70% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
An insurance man's (Dick Powell) affair with a blonde (Lizabeth Scott) leads to guilt, murder and a confession to his wife (Jane Wyatt).

Where to Watch

Pitfall

Critics Reviews

View More
Fred Camper Chicago Reader 06/15/2022
Links between inside and outside occur regularly in de Toth’s work, generally articulating and expanding on the narrative’s threats. Go to Full Review
Yasser Medina Cinefilia 09/01/2024
5/10
It's a film noir that often loses its suspenseful effect when it predictably reiterates its slow-burning plot about blackmail, infidelity and murder. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
Jeremy Heilman MovieMartyr.com 07/27/2012
57/100
De Toth's sensitive handing of Pitfall stalls out somewhere along the way. Go to Full Review
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 06/30/2005
3/5
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 01/01/2000
C+
A slight melodramatic story, but an efficiently made moral tale with noir overtures. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
S R @ScottR 07/15/2024 A better than average film noir focusing on an insurance agent trying not to cheat on his wife with a femme fatale blonde. It was on Tubi. See more acsdoug D @acsdoug 07/03/2024 The Hays Code compelled the film makers to only hint at things that should have been made explicit. Still, if you read between the lines this turns out to be a good noir. Lizabeth Scott is always a pleasure to watch. See more Lincoln B 06/16/2024 NOTE: i watched this film weeks ago yet my original review was deleted so I’m rewriting it based on what stuck out in my memory from this film I stumbled upon this movie on cable tv with my sister and we simply couldn’t believe how bad it was. The film tells the story of a married lawyer who as an affair with one of his clients whose boyfriend is a convicted felon. The set-up is somewhat unbelievable and the acting could be better. The plot line of a “Love Triangle” (or in this case a pentagon) is old and overused, yet the twist of characters inside of it trying to kill each other is somewhat disturbing. The film’s last few scenes drag on in such odd ways, we thought that a certain character would commit suicide (he doesn’t ). The film’s ending is quite unsatisfying and sudden. We found ourselves asking why we’d even bother trying to finish it. In conclusion, “Pitfall” is a mediocre movie that fails to deliver a satisfying ending and character arc. I wouldn’t recommend trying to watch it unless you’re really interested in the noir genre and okay with a less than satisfactory plot. See more Martin B 05/29/2024 Interesting that every primary character played by an actor or actress playing the character part they were known for in movies. Casting not creative but the script was and the skilled veteran actors wove a yarn with no down time. The tangled web of deceit and deception by not really bad people building and building. We knew it would come to a head but there was no way to predict what would happen or when. Jane Wyatt absolutely radiant one wonders how any man could let his eye wonder with her in his life which I suppose is part of what made it work. See more nick s 04/01/2024 An entertaining noir film with husky Lizbeth Scott at her sultry best. The main character lacked charm, but still well acted. See more Georgan G 12/12/2023 One of my favorite film noir thrillers. Quite a snappy script with very little drag time. Great acting from some of that generations best actors. Raymond Burr as a bad guy! See more Read all reviews
Pitfall

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW
Beyond the Forest 60% 67% Beyond the Forest Watchlist Easy Living 40% 28% Easy Living Watchlist East Side, West Side 43% 75% East Side, West Side Watchlist The Strange Woman 40% 58% The Strange Woman Watchlist In a Lonely Place 96% 89% In a Lonely Place Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis An insurance man's (Dick Powell) affair with a blonde (Lizabeth Scott) leads to guilt, murder and a confession to his wife (Jane Wyatt).
Director
Andre de Toth
Producer
Samuel Bischoff
Screenwriter
Karl Kamb
Distributor
United Artists
Production Co
Regal Films
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 24, 1948, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 1, 2016
Runtime
1h 24m
Most Popular at Home Now