Deathtrap

Deathtrap (1982)

  • 75% of critics liked it
    (12 reviews)

  • 68% of users liked it
    (5,267 ratings)

Sidney Lumet provides another of his film adaptations of Broadway successes -- in this case Ira Levin's 1978 clever Broadway murder mystery that starred John Wood in a triumphant turn as down-on-his-luck playwright Sidney Bruhl. Wood's brittle airiness is replaced in the film version by… More

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PG,
Directed By
,
Written By
Ira Levin, Jay Presson Allen
Genres
Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Comedy
In Theaters
Mar 19, 1982 Limited
On DVD
Jul 27, 1999
Warner Bros. Pictures

Critic Reviews

  • Peter Canavese, Groucho Reviews

    It would be criminal to reveal how the plot unfolds, other than to say it's impressive dramatic origami, manipulated deftly by an ideal cast and one of Hollywood's all-time top directors. [Blu-ray]

  • Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena

    Apesar do desfecho decepcionante, sobrevive graças às boas reviravoltas, à direção intrigante de Lumet e às formidáveis atuações de Caine e Reeve.

  • Sarah Chauncey, Reel.com

    Witty thriller, particularly of interest to writers

  • Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

    Deathtrap is a literate, swiftly paced and engrossing screen adaptation of Ira Levin's Broadway smash.

  • Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com

    Offbeat parlor mystery that still holds up pretty well.

Read all 6 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Universal D


    Whoever stars in this banana peel of a whodunnit is only second banana to this script-about-a-script opus, meant to jerk you about like an amusement park ride. The stars are present merely to be targets and frequently look about wondering how much more time they have before the… More

  • AJ V


    A good thriller, Caine is great in these kinds of movies. I wouldn't have thought of casting Reeve, though, but he's not bad, and played his character well. A few of the plot twists are a little predictable if you watch a lot of thrillers, but the ending is very… More

  • A.D. V


    Not as great as I remembered it but I think that's due to the fact this is about crazy plot twists that came back to me while watching it. Still its a well made thriller/comedy with a great (gay) performance from Reeve, a delightfully unhinged Caine and superb direction and… More

  • Film C


    I dont know whether this was good or not it was differnatly different in the way it was written and executed but it was weird and with some jumpy bits so maybe you'll like it maybe not its a bit like marmite!!

  • Pierluigi P


    This time Michael Caine is the old wisecracker mystery writer. him and Christopher Reeve are very good in their parts. The charm, good humour, amount of red herrings and Sidney Lumet's direction are interesting points as well, but the ending is so weak that makes the film fall… More

Read all 12 featured audience ratings

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Cast

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