Ira Levin’s Deathtrap

Directed by Sidney Lumet, Ira Levin’s Deathtrap follows a Broadway playwright (Michael Caine’s Sidney Bruhl) as he concocts a plan to take credit for a former student’s (Christopher Reeve’s Clifford Anderson) work. Filmmaker Lumet, armed with a script by Jay Presson Allen, does a superb job of immediately drawing the viewer into the deliberately-paced proceedings, as Ira Levin’s Deathtrap kicks off with a striking opening stretch that’s enhanced by Caine and Reeve’s magnetic and downright riveting efforts – with Lumet’s stylish visuals going a long way towards perpetuating the compelling atmosphere. (There is, for example, a terrific scene wherein Clifford slowly realizes that something nefarious is afoot, which Lumet achieves through a hypnotic close-up of Reeve’s face.) And while the proliferation of surprising plot twists effectively buoys the viewer’s interest and attention on an ongoing basis, Ira Levin’s Deathtrap has been saddled with a palpably overlong running time that does, particularly within the bloated midsection, result in a handful of narrative lulls (ie the movie is in desperate need of some serious tightening). By the time the frenetic (and satisfying) finale rolls around, Ira Levin’s Deathtrap has confirmed its place as a solid adaptation that succeeds mostly as a showcase for the spellbinding work of its two leads.

*** out of ****