It won't do to explain the intricate and ingenious storyline of Deathtrap in detail because that would give away all the delicious surprises awaiting you. Michael Caine stars as a big time playwright who hasn't had a whodunit hit in years. He receives a mystery thriller written by a former seminar student (Christopher Reeve). Before the young fellow arrives at his Connecticut mansion, Caine tells his wife (Dyan Cannon) that the play is a real humdinger and will be a hit. When he speculates about killing the student, confiscating the sole copy of the manuscript, and then producing it on his own, she begins to worry. A next door neighbor (Irene Worth) also begins to worry; she's a psychic who prophesies killings to come in their house.

Sidney Lumet has drawn out lively and convincing performances from Caine and Reeve who ride the twists and turns in this rollercoaster plot with finesse and pluck. Jacy Presson Allen's skillful adaptation of Ira Levin's Broadway smash is literate, swiftly paced, and thoroughly engrossing. Enjoy.