Sidney Lumet’s film adaptation of Ira Levin’s play, Deathtrap, is one of those stage-to-screen things that simply cannot transcend its stage origins. Oh, Lumet tries his darndest to make the material more cinematic — just look at that 360-degree panning shot early in the movie — but to no avail. It’s not so much that the movie is largely trapped in one room. It’s that everything about Deathtrap feels rehearsed and phony. Unlike the similarly — and similarly gimmick-driven — Sleuth (filmed in 1972 and 2007 — with Michael Caine in different roles in each), I never believe for a minute that the characters in Deathtrap are anything but actors on a set saying things that someone else had written for them. I could try to figure out exactly why — I think it’s largely that the film seems consciously gimmicky from the start — but it really doesn’t matter. The story of a once successful playwright (Michael Caine) deciding to murder a student of his (Christopher Reeve) in order to steal his play is fine, but it’s also so obviously a set-up to something else that you’re waiting for that something else. It also gives the film a dynamic opening act that the subsequent acts never get near. (I normally don’t like using theater terms with film, but here it seems fitting.) All this — and an irritating Johnny Mandel musical score — to one side, Deathtrap ends up being entertaining for offering the opportunity of seeing its four major players — Caine, Reeve, Dyan Cannon, Irene Worth — overact, mug and chew every piece of scenery in sight. I’m not entirely convinced that this — nor the film’s final thunder-and-lightning act overkill — is intentional, but it does keep things amusing. That alone, makes the film agreeably watchable.
The Hendersonville Film Society will show Deathtrap Sunday, July 21, at 2 p.m. in the Smoky Mountain Theater at Lake Pointe Landing Retirement Community (behind Epic Cinemas), 333 Thompson St., Hendersonville.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.