You won't be disappointed!

hyped garbage

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

"Sleuth" was the final film directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and so far it is the only one that I've ever seen, and it's a complete and total masterpiece. the movie is based on the popular Broadway play of the same name by Anthony Shaffer who also wrote the screenplay of the film as well. The main character of the film is a middle aged British crime novelist named Andrew Wyke (Laurence Olivier) who invites a young hairdresser to his huge mansion named Milo Tindle (Michael Caine) who happens to be in love with Wyke's wife and both men try to get revenge on each other by playing dangerous games on each other throughout the rest of the movie. The film was the second of four movies that Olivier and Caine made together and in this movie they give very impressive performances which are so good it surprises me that those two actually weren't the original actors for the original Broadway production, and as a result they both got well deserved best actor Oscar nominations for their profound work. Shaffer's script along with John Addison's Oscar nominated score and especially Mankiewicz's Oscar nominated direction kept me on the edge of my seat throughout most of the entire film. I wrote in my review of "Death on the Nile" that I felt like I was watching a clue game in the form of a movie, but with this movie I felt the same way but the only difference being that this movie only has a 2 person cast. It is very unfortunate to me that these days Hollywood is remaking a lot of the great masterpieces of the last century but this movie was remade in 2007, and this is a movie that should never have been remade. In an interview a few months before his death Paul Newman was looking back on his career as an actor and in that very same interview he said "No one should ever remake "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." This movie is a pure example of what mystery movies should be like and how they should be made, and is arguably one of the best mysteries I've seen that wasn't directed by Alfred Hitchcock. This is one of 1972's ten best films

Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier together. Need I say more. This, of course, was based on an incredibly successful stage play. It involves more twists and turns than can be mentioned here. The cool thing is that there is gamesmanship at every turn, and these two wonderful British talents don't disappoint. It involves a plot to get rid of a extravagant woman through manipulation. The kicker is that the two principles are both masters at solving problems, using creative solutions. They are equals and that's where the fun comes in. I have always loved it when a mystery film has enough complexity to have me fooled. Being a suspicious viewer, I really watch for nuances in these films, but this time they got by me. One of the best films of the Seventies.

As you'll find out very quickly during the film, there are basically two characters in this whole entire 2:20 runtime. Needless to say considering the sort of very intricate dialog required for this film's atmosphere, the closer attention to cinematography, and just overall the very highly ambitious construction around such a basic plot...there is an enormous amount of work on display in this piece, and about half the film relies on both lead actors Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier who produce masterful performances, and whether too theatrical for the tastes of some, there's no denying the excellence manifested throughout this eerie comedy. So there's no questioning the cumulative quality of all those elements, from the acting to the cinematography, the fine structure, and the very well done job for such a limited setting. But the problem here is the film is arguably 30 minutes too long, not that the film even stretches its scenes but rather adds just too much in the end. There's just too much "Sleuth" in 'Sleuth'. The film feels like it's about a couple of mystery-thrillers in one, there are just too many elements in the story, too many full acts put together, it's just too heavy for one single motion picture and the whole point of it could've been delivered without some of its extra weight. As we're through a good 1hr30, there comes another full act to the play with its own tensions, events... it's a little bit of overkill really. But this doesn't take away the great cinema work besides that aspect. It's just that when past that point of smooth rhythm and a few good twists already, the viewer is left with the ending as a final impression as the conclusion of the whole piece; and one could very well feel the last chapter here is on the side of excess spoiling an otherwise grand coup of cinema.

I believe the title of Sleuth may be misleading. When I first approached it I wasn't aware of the stage play it was based on and thought the film was going to be a standard "whodunit?" and thus wasn't expecting much from it. I couldn't have been more wrong. Watching it I soon discovered it to be a different film entirely, a giant mind game, a battle of wits and a tale of revenge. I've never seen a film quite like Sleuth before. The exploits between Michael Caine and Laurence Oliver trying to outwit each other with the plot's many twists, surprises and under the direction of Joseph L. Mankiewicz' (a master at handling dialogue) makes for a film that's hard to forget.Watching this film I quickly came to realize that Caine and Olivier may be the only two cast members throughout, which had me thinking if they could carry the film to the very end by themselves it will be nothing short of an acting marvel, so I was disappointed when the movie introduced what appeared to be a third cast member, Alec Cawthrone as Inspector Doppler; I felt the movie was making a mistake by doing so. That was until it turned out that Inspector Doppler was Michael Caine in disguise the whole time, yes, there's no such actor as Alec Cawthrone, he was simply created for the film's credits. I'm not sure how many people will be as perceptible as I was but the movie successfully fooled this viewer. On second viewing I can clearly see Caine through the disguise but I'll always have the memory to cherish of being spellbound the first time round from seeing Caine taking off all that makeup, which itself makes up appreciate the art form. Sleuth actually has a fake cast list in the opening credits in an attempt to fool the audience; this includes three other nonexistent actors, one of which is named after the character Eve Channing from Joseph L. Mankiewicz' earlier film All About Eve. Up until the film's very last scene in which police sirens and knocking on the door can be heard, I was edge of my seat hoping the movie would not introduce another cast member.I've always liked Michael Caine but Sleuth greatly increased my respect for him, while also making me a fan Laurence Olivier; their ability to carry this film is nothing short of phenomenal. Milo Tindle is one of Caine's more effeminate roles, a hairdresser who even takes joy in wearing a piece of women's clothing at one point. Olivier on the other hand is the given the opportunity to have tons of fun with his role of Andrew Wyke, doing impressions and playing dress up with another grown man and with all those gadgets, gizmos and games everywhere, it's always a pleasure to look into the background of Andrew Wyke's manor. Likewise the humor that comes from seeing a man be show how convinced that dressing as a clown is the way to go when doing a stage crime, has me laughing nonstop through the entire charade.