Robert Wagner is excellent as the cold, social climber who is having trouble being accepted by the family of his comparatively-rich girlfriend, Dorothy Kingship (Joanne Woodward). The fact that she is now pregnant only makes matters worse and Bud coldly murders Dorothy and leaves false evidence that she committed suicide. When Dorothy’s sister Ellen (Virginia Leith) starts to look into the true nature of her death, she puts her own welfare at risk as Bud starts to consider further drastic measures to ensure that his secret remains unmasked.
Pretty boy Wagner took the role of the cunning sociopath Bud Corliss partly in an attempt to prove he could act darker parts than his fans had been used to and is considered by some as one of his finest performances. Yet, this film is not a one trick pony and offers excellent supporting roles from Mary Astor as the mother and Joanne Woodward as the girlfriend to round off an enjoyable viewing to suit any film noir enthusiast. Gerd Oswald's excellent film was his first and arguably best, and was based on a novel by Ira Lewin (whose other works resulted in iconic films such as Rosemary's Baby, The Stepford Wives and The Boys From Brazil) shot in widescreen Deluxe Color.
A more recent remake failed to capture the tension of the original despite a chilling performance from Matt Dillon killing his way up the corporate ladder in the 1990s by romancing twin wealthy heiresses, both played by Sean Young.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner
Re-rated based on Ciao's insistence that such reviews are no longer considered "Off Topic"
Soho_Black 09.03.2008 18:01
I see you've posted this as a DVD review, but you've not mentioned the DVD features. Are there any extras? If so, what are they and are they any good? If you add to this, or if you change it to be posted as a "Film Only" review, which can be done by accessing "edit review" above the review and changing the drop down menu under the "Which format are you reviewing?" question at the bottom, please let me know and I'll re-rate.
Robert Wagner gambled with his clean-cut image to play the ruthless, conniving killer in ... more
this unrelenting thriller co-starring Jeffrey Hunter, Virginia Leith, Joanne Woodward and Mary Astor. Based on the novel by suspense master Ira Levin 'Deathtrap', ...
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