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Sleuth (1972)
Runtime: 2 hrs 19 mins
Synopsis: Rarely has a movie with only three characters been so enthralling as SLEUTH, guided by the expert direction of Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Mystery writer and gamesman Andrew Wyke (Laurence Olivier) has found the next target for his mind games: Milo Tindal (Michael Caine), a nice young British... Rarely has a movie with only three characters been so enthralling as SLEUTH, guided by the expert direction of Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Mystery writer and gamesman Andrew Wyke (Laurence Olivier) has found the next target for his mind games: Milo Tindal (Michael Caine), a nice young British hairdresser who is having an affair with Andrew's neglected wife, hoping to eventually marry her. Professing to want to release his wife to him, Andrew lures Milo to his country house to play a very nasty trick--but Andrew's trick comes back to haunt him. Featuring a revelation viewers will have to fight to hold back when recommending this mystery to friends, SLEUTH will greatly appeal to drawing-room murder fans, who will find the movie thrilling with its unexpected twists and turns. Both the unscrupulous and unremorseful Andrew and Milo, sweet but up to Andrew's challenge, shine in each other's company, shrugging off each wicked verbal barb before zinging back another. Both Caine and Olivier are brilliant in their roles; the former was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor. SLEUTH is based on the play by British playwright Anthony Shaffer. [More]
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Starring: Laurence Olivier, Michael Caine, Alec Cawthorne, Ted Martin
DVD Info
Release:
May 2, 2002
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85:1
Audio:
- Mono - English
- Mono - French
Additional Release Material:
- Featurette - 1. "A Sleuthian Journey With Anthony Shaffer"
- Trailers
Interactive Features:
- Scene Access
- Interactive Menus
Reviews
Despite flaws (it's overlong and too theatrical, betraying its stage origins), this stylishly made cat-and-mouse thriller with strong social class overtones boasts great performances from Olivier and Michael Caine.
Joseph Mankiewicz (All About Eve) received a Best Director nomination for this film, his last; the winner was Bob Fosse for Cabaret.
A stagebound but effective two-character thriller. It might work better on stage, but you're not like to find better leads.
It's one of those works built around a gimmick that in fact requires a little cheating on the part of the filmmakers in order to succeed. But it's a good gimmick.
A two-man play that displays the terrific talents of Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine
Joseph Mankiewicz directs this deft satire on the detective genre of literature that is both a metaphysical thriller and a psychological cliff-hanger.
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posted by Scott Weinberg January 11, 2007
Between two excellent performances in two of the year's more entertaining movies ("The Prestige" and...


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