Tuesday, March 16, 2010

208. Sleuth

Sleuth (1972)

Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Starring: Laurence Olivier
Michael Caine

IMDb Rating: 8
My Rating: 7.5

"Remember, be sure to tell them, it was only a bloody game."


Andrew Wyke (Laurence Olivier) is a rich author of mystery novels and great lover of games. His entire house is filled with darts, billiards tables, and other rare and unusual activities. Although, his playful personality extends past the traditional family game nights. When salon owner Milo Tindle (Michael Caine) approaches Andrew about marrying his current wife Marguerite, Andrew puts into place a deceptive game of cat and mouse that appears to have fatal consequences. A few days after Milo and Andrew's encounter, a strange detective shows up at Andrew's door inquiring about a disturbance. Slowly a new game begins, although this time Andrew is the pawn.

Sleuth is one of those films that is almost completely driven by it's script. With only one set and two actors, the dialogue had little room for error. Luckily the script is written brilliantly and is in the very capable hands of Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine. It's rare to see a film made with just two actors and no additional cast members. The two give the screenplay life with equally fantastic performances. Their banter fluctuates from hilarious to terrifying with barely any transition. This makes the film all that more fun, and unpredictable. Olivier and Caine's perfect delivery of the script is definitely where this film shines brightest.

In the case of this film, the set does much of the characterizing and storytelling. The film keeps one singular location intact, only expanding to create an upstairs area with rooms. The statues located around the house, eventually play out to be almost like supporting characters in the film. Such as Olivier's constant use of a cued laughing sea captain to establish his aura madness. I cannot recall a film in which it's set and pieces told just as much of a story than the characters themselves. Even though the way the arrangement of the set seemed like it would be distracting, it eventually proved to be essential to setting up the characters and their unique personalities.

Sleuth proves that solid films can be made with the use of single locations, small casts, and superbly written dialogue. Although, when a film relies on so much dialogue, some viewers might bore easily. I do not, but I could see where some people could. I had seen the remake starring Jude Law and Michael Caine (Caine plays the opposite role than he did in the original) prior to this viewing, and it is nowhere near the caliber of this film. Sadly, Sleuth is out of print on DVD, and as a result has become forgotten. If the opportunity ever arises, I strongly encourage you to see this truly unique and entertaining film.

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