Trapped (1989 TV Movie) User Reviews

Very Interesting

[milamontagne · 6/10 · 23 July 2006]

First, Let me clear up a misconception left by a previous reviewer:

THIS MOVIE IS NOT 'DIE HARD' AND DOES NOT TRY TO BE!

That being said, Its remarkably similar to 'The Face of Fear', Except for in the beginning, she's alone. Trapped carries suspense very well. The acting, while not the best, does well to put you in the movie. Its very easy to see yourself, almost alone, running though a labyrinth of corridors and doors trying to find a way out. One of the things that 'Trapped' does better then 'The face of Fear' is use dead-quiet scenes to convey the vast and oppressive building itself. Indeed, the building seems to have a character of its own, aiding the madman on his rampage.

The madman, whom its almost possible to sympathize with, says little thought the film, adding to the creepiness. Not quite my best suspense film of all time, but quite good. The male hero is almost an anti-hero when we learn that he's in the building doing espionage.

All in all, a well done movie that deserves recognition.

Some suspense

[xredgarnetx · 6/10 · 4 November 2007]

Beloved character actress Kathleen "Event Horizon"/"Twilight Zone: The Movie" Quinlan is trapped in a high-rise office building by some unseen nutcase. Along comes Bruce "Re-Animator" Abbott, an industrial spy, and the two are soon playing cat-and-mouse with the would-be killer. This was a TV movie, and a darned good one for its time. The focus is totally on Quinlan, who played ladies in peril better than anyone except Nancy Allen during the 1980s and 90s. (Quinlan rarely died in her movies, one big exception being "Event Horizon" where her death scene is so realistic and harrowing it is usually trimmed for TV showings, even in today's more permissive broadcast atmosphere.) See TRAPPED for Quinlan. She was one darned sexy lady in her day.

One of the best TV movies ever made and a good Walton

[francis-moury · 22 September 2006]

To compare it with DIE HARD is stupid.

It is not relevant since those two movies have nothing in common except to happen in a tower. By the way, 14 HOURS directed by Henry Hathaway and THE TOWER INFERNO directed by John Guillermin & Irwin Allen are also set in a tower : so what ? To those who have seen WHEN A STRANGER CALLS- the original one directed by Walton - and his APRIL FOOLS' DAY, TRAPPED will mean what they knew already : Walton is able - technically and psychologically - to put fear on screen. Kathleen Quinlan is excellent from the beginning to the end.

When a DVD of that one ? And if it was shot in 1.66 or 1.77 or 1.85, when a 16/9 DVD, I precise ?

Flawed, but a refreshing female lead

[Eldil · 4/10 · 1 February 2006]

Although this movie undoubtedly is not of any great quality it has stuck with me more than most movies. In the fifteen years since I saw it I have retained not only the broad plot, but some incidentals as well. So what was it that made it all stick with me? Quite simply the heroine Kathleen Quinlan, and not really her per say but the fact that she "saves the day" not her male counter lead. I had never seen a movie, and don't remember many since, that have strong male and female leads where it is the female that gets the glory moment at the end of taking down the protagonist. Sure there are movies with strong female leads that save the day but more often than not if there is a strong male lead beside them, the man gets that honor - not the woman, regardless of her characters strengths, and opportunities to do so. This is probably a sad way to remember a movie, by what so many other movies lack, but despite Trapped's obvious flaws this is something in its credit

I LOVE this t.v. movie

[desult · 10/10 · 26 December 2000]

Really, this flick is not as bad as the 2 previous commentors would like you to believe. The killer's motive is, simply, not handed to the viewer on a silver platter. You've got to think about it. I swear it's there. And try not to compare it to Die Hard or that Anna Nicole Smith piece of cinematic garbage.

I've loved this film since the first time I watched it, back in 1989, when I was barely a teenager. It continues to surprise me like others where you just can't get everything in one viewing, and I have my own copy that I've viewed numerous times.

Sure the story line is improbable: homicidal kook and a woman are locked into a 65 story skyscraper. But try and free your mind of movie clutter and enjoy how Fred Walton (the director/writer) tells a story. Watch it alone, with the sound up.

Suspenseful Crap

[Stardirt · 3/10 · 19 April 1999]

This movie Is bad. In the movie they never explained why the killer was killing. I mean, granted he was a psycho but even psychos need reasons, rational or not. and i think that they had john doe and her boss act too creepy. I never trusted their motives. Throughout the movie i am trying to figure out the plot, I was reading too much into it. This movie is way shallow but it has potential if they ever re-did it. it seems like the editors, in haste, cut the plot to fit the time slot. but it is very edgy. i think someone should re-do it.

A suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat thriller

[DaysFan79 · 10/10 · 26 February 2003]

From the writer and director who brought us "When a Stranger Calls," and "When a Stranger Calls Back," comes the story of a building management executive who is spending the night with a killer trying to stay alive. The killer is not just "killing," people for the fun of it, as a previous comment was made. No, if you pay more attention, the company was responsible for the deaths of many people due to mysterious oil spills and toxic poisonings. The "killer" apparently wanting revenge, relentlessly stalks Kathleen Quinlan is this cat-and-mouse thriller through a labyrinth of corridors and empty offices. An exciting thriller!

Dumb and boring

[culwin · 4/10 · 20 December 2000]

I hate this movie. It is a blatant attempt to rip off "Die Hard", and fails miserably. Some guy is in a building killing everyone. We don't know anything about him, we don't know his motivation, he just apparently wants to kill people. So we have a woman trapped in a building with a killer and MONKEYS. And all this has to fill a couple of hours. The plot has serious credibility problems, and the ending is stupid and pointless. Avoid this movie unless you have seen all the other movies about people trapped in a building. Even Anna Nicole Smith's "Skyscraper" is better.

Love this flick !

[starbinks2 · 9/10 · 24 August 2012]

Caught this movie a long time ago. You have to really pay attention as there are many quiet scene that tell you a lot. There are actually three story lines going on at one time. You do find out why the killer is killing, you do find out who these people are and how the building and their jobs are all intertwined. I watch this movie at least 4 times a year, along with Dark Harbor (the flick with Alan Rickman & Norman Reedus). These movies are great as they make you pay attention and think, you have to listen to the dialog to figure everything out.Kathleen Quinlan is both beautiful and very talented. She does a great job as the woman running from the killer. Bruce Abbott is both good and talented as the spy. He can be both tough and understanding. They make a great couple on screen. They are also married in real life. As I said, love this movie, stands well on it's own.

excellent, overlooked gem

[ian_campbell6 · 9/10 · 5 March 2007]

best TV movie ever? maybe. Dark, inventive (for the time)and refreshingly gory for TV. Axe maniac on the loose in revenge for daughters death, stalks employees of responsible company at night. some great scenes,- the elevator, the trail of paint, wild animals for experimentation and more exciting stuff.

will they survive until opening time?

Very much in the same vein as survival horror video games of today... clock-tower, resident evil, etc.

great to see a thriller with a solid story. thumbs up for this great film.

Love this movie!

[SavedSoul-595-524403 · 10/10 · 6 August 2020]

This is a great movie! I wish they would put it on DVD!

Pretty suspenseful

[jmasci-31-114152 · 8/10 · 25 October 2019]

I'm pretty sure the killer's motive was revealed in the opening sequence (newspaper clippings). A family member was killed by toxic waste dumped by the company who rented space in the high rise. Did you watch the beginning?