Deathtrap

"The trap is set... For a wickedly funny who'll-do-it."

Mar 19 1982 PG 1h 56m
Comedy, Crime, Mystery

A Broadway playwright puts murder in his plan to take credit for a student's script.

Plot

To make Sidney's slump all the more painful, Clifford Anderson, a student of one of Sidney's writing seminars, has recently sent his mentor a copy of his first attempt at playwrighting for Sidney's review and advice. The play, "Deathtrap", is a five character, two-act thriller so perfect in its construction that, as Sidney says, "A gifted director couldn't even hurt it." Using his penchant for plot, and out of his desperate desire to once again be the toast of Broadway, Sidney, along with Myra, cook up an almost unthinkable scheme: They'll lure the would-be playwright to the Bruhl home, kill him, and market the sure-fire script as Sidney's own. But shortly after Clifford arrives, it's clear that things are not what they seem. Even Helga Ten Dorp, a nosey psychic from next door, and Porter Milgram, Sidney's observant attorney, can only speculate where the line between truth and deception lies.

Written by

Ira Levin, Jay Presson Allen

Directed by

Sidney Lumet

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

Warner Bros. Pictures

Languages

English

Awards

6 nominations

Scores
# of Votes
17,680
Average Rating
7 out of 10
Metascore
54
Popularity
NA