The Trap (Klopka)

An intelligent if sometimes contrived and overly slick suspenser-cum-cautionary tale that finds a Belgrade architect resorting to desperate, deadly means in an attempt to gain enough money for an operation that might save the life of his ailing son. Keeping secret his dealings with a sinister patron found through a newspaper ad, he inevitably distances himself from his wife, while suffering troubling pangs of guilt… At once reminiscent of Highsmith and Dostoievsky, the film is flawed by frequent implausible details, schematic ironies and genre-dictated moments of melodrama; still, brisk pacing and crisp visuals keep it watchable.