Deathtrap (1982) ****

Deathtrap (1982) celebrates its 40th anniversary today so I decided to revisit the film for a second viewing. It did not disappoint. Sidney Lumet's film adaptation of Ira Levin's 1978 play (which holds the record for the longest-running comedy-thriller on Broadway) is a really fun murder mystery. 

The movie develops, looks, and feels very much like a play and in the hands of Lumet the translation to the silver screen works incredibly well. The comedy is dark, Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve's performances are tip-top (Dyan Cannon is great too), and the single location windmill/house provides lots of interesting and dramatic cinematography. There's nothing terribly complex about Deathtrap but it's still smartly written, clever, and simply a damn good time.

You can find my Sidney Lumet Feature Films Ranked list here.

You can find my Top 20 Directors list here.