the plot: Following the disastrous opening of his new play, Sidney Bruhl (Caine) retreats to his home in the Hamptons, eager to put the bad reviews and poor audience reaction behind him. His wealthy wife, Myra (Cannon) assures Sidney he’ll climb out of his slump and write another hit, but Sidney remains pessimistic and unconvinced. Things start looking up when Sidney receives an unsolicited manuscript from a former student. It’s a brilliant two-act thriller called “Deathtrap,” and Sidney soon hatches a plan to invite the writer, Clifford Anderson (Reeve) over to the estate—in order to murder him and steal the play. Myra finds herself an unwilling accomplice in Sidney’s scheme and she struggles to avoid rousing the suspicion of her neighbor, the renowned psychic Helga ten Dorp (Worth), and in Anderson himself. When Anderson shows up at the house, Sidney’s plan is set into motion, but the outcome is nothing like he, Myra or even Clifford expects.

why it’s good: According to Chekhov’s old axiom, if a gun shows up in the first act of a play, it must be fired in the second. If that holds true, an entire armory of antique weapons showing up in the opening credits does not bode well for anyone in the final act of a movie, and such is the case with “Deathtrap,” a wickedly awesome thriller that twists, turns and doubles back on itself more times than you’d think possible. Reeve and Caine are both top notch here, with both men plotting, scheming and creeping throughout the windmill-shaped house that serves as the film’s primary location. Their characters are too clever by half and much of the fun in “Deathtrap” comes from watching them duel, both physically and mentally. “Deathtrap” also has a very cool meta-fictional element to it: there are plays within plays within plays, and the film itself is based on a stage play by Ira Levin. Levin’s version was one of the longest running thrillers on Broadway, while in the film, Bruhl claims authorship of the longest running thriller on Broadway. Some fine comedic performances by Dyan Cannon and Irene Worth keep things snappy and add even more elements of surprise. By the time the film reaches its fevered climax, the characters retreat back into the armory, and it’s not a question of whether or not the gun will go off, but whether the gun is any match for the axes, daggers and maces hanging on the wall.

Why you should own it: “Deathtrap” is about as good as thrillers get and definitely worth adding to your library. Sadly, Warner Bros. DVD is without any sort of extra; this sort of film is practically begging for a commentary track from Lumet and Caine.