Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

Why I will never again buy a movie I've never heard of before checking Epinions first: I had a small amount of money for a couple of bargain bin DVD's and was determined to get some that my wife and I would enjoy watching together (not as easy as it sounds since we have very different tastes). I knew my wife would prefer at least one comedy and wanted something she hadn't seen since she doesn't like repeated viewings of the same movie like I do. Deathtrap sounded like a comedy with a bit of mystery and suspense. I'm not a Michael Caine fan, but I will be forever a Christopher Reeve fan because of Superman. So I took a chance with Deathtrap expecting something like the movie Clue.

What I got was crap after crap. While the overall plot has an interesting concept, the story lacks. **SPOILERS AHEAD** Mike is a playwright, but he keeps writing one flop after another. His wife has money so he enlists homosexual lover Chris (also a writer) to kill her by giving her a heart attack. They stage it so she thinks Mike is killing Chris for his perfect script, and when it appears Chris has come back from the dead, Mike's wife can't take the stress. The lovers then shack up and begin writing. Mike is having writer's block but Chris has realized they created the perfect play by their actions. Chris begins writing a script based on the killing of Mike's wife and is maneuvering Mike into a confrontation to create a second act. Mike thinks he has the upper hand and is prepared to shoot Chris to keep the script from being written. That's when he realizes he's doing exactly what Chris wants because the latter man has set up his own plan that thwarts Mike's. They end up killing each other while a psychic who lives next door steals the written script and completes it with the lovers' double homicide.
**END SPOILERS**

That might have all been more interesting had the events unfolded in a more clever way. There is no excitement, no suspense, and no big deal. The pacing was 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.

Even if I didn't have a problem with the story and pacing, the acting was horrible. Yeah, Chris and Mike did a decent job, but some of the other parts were just about unbearable. Part of that can be attributed to the dialogue. Part of it was written for the screen while part of it sounded like it was intended for the stage. It was, 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 combining the two styles is the worst possible thing to do.

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.

Content:
There's some language throughout, some mild violence, and a little sexually oriented dialogue. All in all not too much of a questionable movie unless you're sensitive to homosexual content.

DVD:
The DVD package is as lackluster as the movie. It has a cardboard snap case, minimal sound and video quality, pan and scan format only, and no extras. If you do actually like this movie, don't get your hopes up about the DVD.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
I highly recommend keeping your distance, but if you wish to disregard my advice I'll be happy to sell you mine for $6, shipping included. 1* for this crappy piece of crap.

As an afterward I have to say that having just read the other Epinions reviews they would have steered me wrong this go 'round if I had checked here before buying. I wholeheartedly and unabashedly disagree with the other reviews written since they all seem to like this atrocity.

Recommended: No

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: None of the Above
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age