2
(nothing direct)
6
(some sexuality, mild violence, a little strong language)
1
(don't bother)
Here's what happened: I was in the market for bargain bin movies I could watch with someone who doesn't like many of the same kinds of things that I do. "Deathtrap" sounded like a comedy with a bit of mystery and suspense. Forever a Christopher Reeve fan because of "Superman," I took a chance with "Deathtrap" expecting something like the movie "Clue." What I got was a trap, a crap trap.
While the overall plot has an interesting concept, the story lacks. Sidney (Michael Caine) is a playwright, but he keeps writing one flop after another. His wife has money so he enlists homosexual lover Clifford (Christopher Reeve), also a writer, to kill her by giving her a heart attack. They stage it so she thinks Sid is killing Cliff for his perfect script, and when it appears Cliff has come back from the dead Sid's wife can't take the stress.
The lovers then shack up and begin writing. Sid is having writer's block but Cliff has realized they created the perfect play by their actions. Cliff begins writing a script based on the killing of Sid's wife and is maneuvering Sid into a confrontation to create a second act. The pair begin to outmaneuver each other in order to profit from the ordeal.
That might all be more interesting if the events unfolded in a more clever way. There is no excitement, no suspense, and no big deal. The pacing is so slow that by the time I got to anything that might have been good I really didn't care. And comedy? What comedy? I barely chuckled much less laughed. I guess it's a comedy in that it's an absurd situation, but within it there are no laughs.
Even if I didn't have a problem with the story and pacing, the acting is horrible. Yeah, Reeve and Caine do a decent job, but some of the other parts are just about unbearable. Part of that can be attributed to the dialogue. Much of the dialogue sounds like it is intended for the stage. It is, after all, based on a stage play. Fine, if you want to make a movie with dialogue that sounds like a stage play go experiment and have fun, but other parts of it sound like movie dialogue which when combined with the stage play feel ends up coming across as inconsistant and annoying.
Then there's the score. Was it performed all on a harpsichord? Scarlatti he is not. The music gave me a headache. It's thin and does nothing to set any moods.
Morality
There's some mild strong language throughout, some mild violence, and a little sexually oriented dialogue.
Spirituality
Slight spoiler ahead. There is something of a warning message in this story. These two set out to accomplish self-serving goals using evil means. In the end it is a third party, a psychic (who I took as fraudulent though I can't recall if that is stated implicitly), is the only one to profit. From a scriptural perspective we can draw in the ideas that your sin will find you out and the wage of sin is death. In this case the devil seems to be mocking his victims: "you thought you would gain something marvelous by following my lead, but instead you just destroyed yourselves." There is nothing directly spiritual in the film, no mention of the devil looking upon his handiwork, but this is the idea that I take with me because of my own worldview.
Final Thoughts
I can't think of many movies adapted from stage plays that I have actually enjoyed. Even "Shadowlands," which I greatly enjoyed performed on stage, isn't all that good on film depsite my appreciation for the subject and the performers. So keep that in mind when I say to avoid "Deathtrap." It isn't worth your time.
Buying Guide
"Deathtrap" is an easy guide to write because there is so little to cover.
There is 1 DVD option with a whole lot of nothing special to offer.
You're not going to get much out of this release so you're better off streaming it if possible. It is at least available on DVD if you're looking for it, but this is not the quality that collectors hope for when tracking down releases.
The Warner Home Video DVD is a single disc release.
Video
1.33:
This is a pan-&-scan presentation. It is unimpressive but not intolerable.
Audio
2.0 Dolby:
The audio is acceptable but offers nothing in the way of surround sound immersion. It doesn't have a very full sound.
Packaging
The case is the cardboard variety unless it has since been repackaged in plastic.
The interface is plain and boring.
Extras
There are none.