Deathtrap (1982)

A Major Disappointment

an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Sidney Bruhl (Michael Caine) is a struggling playwright. His latest Broadway play is a critical flop. He retreats to his Long Island home with his wife Myra (Dyan Cannon). He has a copy of a play called Deathtrap written by his student Clifford Anderson (Christopher Reeve). He's bitterly jealous. She wants him to produce it. The question is would he kill for a new play. He invites Clifford to the remote house and bring the original drafts. The discussion breaks down and Clifford wants to send copies of the play to various agents.There is a bit of tension with Clifford in handcuffs. The story meanders after that. It needs to build on that tension. Then comes the twists. The twists are fine but I need more tension. Sidney Lumet may be more concerned about the kiss which is not so shocking nowadays. This may work better as a play. There are some fair back and forth in the last act but I don't care about which ever way it could turn out.

Very uneven with mediocre performances by Reeves, miscasting of Dyan Cannon,and even Caine, although good, couldn't carry this feeble performance.(Spoilers) Inexplicably, they change the two genuinely scary parts of the movie: the reappearance of "Clifford" both from the first "attempt" and the second attempt at murder. In the first, he's supposed to break through the french doors, and the second, he appears out of the dark when, illuminated by a bolt of lightning, he is suddenly seen above Sidney's head swinging a pike or axe for one final attempt to kill Sidney with his dying breath. Both of these sudden appearances are genuinely startling--in the play, but not in the movie. The very end, too, is inextricably squandered.Don't waste your time or money. Unfortunately, no other version exists. Wait until a performance comes to your town. We just saw one by a volunteer amateur company in a small gin-rickety playhouse, which was far better than this.

...so how do I write a review without one? I'll try. I saw this when it first came out in the theater, and it was so much fun, with so many plot twists and double-crosses--some you can see coming and some not.I've recently seen it on Turner Classic Movies a couple of times, and it is still entertaining as far as the performances, even if you know what is coming. The set-up is this: Sidney Bruhl (Michael Caine), a playwright, has just written a flop. He returns to his country home from Broadway after phoning his wife, Myra (Dyan Cannon), about the bad news. He has been giving seminars on writing for aspiring playwrights, and when he gets home he opens a package sent to him by one of those students. It is a play entitled "Deathtrap", and the student sends a note asking if Sidney thinks it is any good. Sidney's analysis is that it is excellent, a sure fire hit, and then he starts to do and say little things that make the audience - and Myra - think that maybe Sidney is contemplating stealing the play, and doing away with the student who sent it in order to score a success for himself after a long stretch of flops. He calls the student and asks him to come to his house and in such a way that nobody will know where he has gone. Past that point I'll let you watch and see what happens.Now the student turns out to be played by Christopher Reeve, and given his devastating injury 13 years later that eventually took his life, seeing him walking around so young so healthy and never showing even a glimpse of his Superman persona - the only role he was really known for at the time - is worth the price of admission. Dyan Cannon is excellent as the nervous and hovering wife Myra. Michael Caine, who has given so many good performances over the years, seemed to work an awful lot during the 1980's, sometimes in good films sometimes in bad ones. This is one of the good films and he gives a very good performance. No doubt all of these good performances had something to do with director Sidney Lumet.Some people say the first half is great, the second half not so great, that it bogs down. I beg to differ. The pace between the two halves is just very different, but the whole thing keeps you on your toes. Make sure you notice everything that is going on.If I had to say anything negative it might be that the German psychic, Helga ten Dorp, is overdone and campy just a little bit. Plus it is a stretch that she makes a habit of shining flashlights through her neighbors' windows at night during rainstorms, and then wandering through their houses uninvited. If she is so psychic, can't she perceive she has overstayed her welcome from the minute she said hello? The original trailers had a Rubik's Cube with the faces of the cast members on different sides of the cube. I'd say that's an excellent visual description. Do give it a try. It's one of my favorite thrillers.

Shame really - very rarely do I watch a film and am left feeling disappointed at the end. I've seen quite a few of Ira Levin's adaptations - 'Rosemary's Baby' and 'The Stepford Wives' - and liked both them, but this just didn't appeal to me.When I read the plot outline - an award winning playwright (Michael Caine) decides to murder one of his former pupils (Christopher Reeve) and steel his script for his own success - I was excited. I like thrillers, Michael Caine's a good actor, Sidney Lumet's a good director and Ira Levin's work is generally good.I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, but all I'd say is there are LOADS of twists and turns. So many its kind of hard to explain the film's plot line in detail, without giving it away. I enjoyed the first ... 45 minutes, before the twists and turns began to occur and at that point my interest and enjoyment began to fade out. Though I have to give Lumet credit for the very amusing ending which did make me laugh out loud.The main cast - Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve, Dyan Cannon and Irene Worth - were all brilliant in their roles. Though Worth's obvious fake Russian accent got on my nerves slightly (nothing personal Irene, I think any actor's fake accent would irritate me). Not sure if Cannon's character was meant to be annoyingly funny but Dyan managed to annoy and amuse - at the same time.Anyone reading this - I don't want you to be put-off watching this because of my views - give it a chance, you may like it, you may not. It's all about opinion.