Sleuth

The stars have a ball with this exceptional adaptation of the award winning play from Anthony Shaffer, directed by Mankiewicz. Mystery writer Olivier invites his wife's lover, played by Caine to his lavish country home - perhaps to propose a scheme that would benefit both of them. Ah, but what's the real purpose. Stay poised and ready for thrills as both stars lead us through a devilishly cunning script, filled with a crackerjack conclusion. Both stars and their director were Oscar nominated.

One man is a famed mystery novelist, Andrew Wyke, the other is a braggadocios young businessman named Milo Tindle. One day, they meet in the writer's automaton and game filled manor house (that assuredly directly inspired the mansion in 'Knives Out'). They have nothing in common- except for the writer's wife, that is. Tindle is her lover, and both men want her for themselves. The writer has a cunning plan as Machiavellian as some of his plots to ensure the businessman winds up with nothing before the day is out. Tindle, though, has a plan of his own; and a fiendish battle of wits and wills ensues.

Based on Anthony Schaffer's Tony-winning play that originally starred Anthony Quayle and Keith Baxter as novelist and businessman respectively, this adaptation features Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine in their places, and is a highlight in the careers of both men. Schaffer's screenplay is full of vicious verbal barbs as Wyke and Tindle have a sparring match full of twists, turns and double-crosses. Their battle of wits becomes a battle of class, and the story is as unpredictable as it is clever.

Olivier's mixed feelings towards his place in cinema is well documented, and often his on-screen performances seem very mannered and actorly- over the top even. As the pompous, old- fashioned Wyke, however, the overly theatrical streak doesn't seem out of place. He is a classist, racist good ol' boy of the English aristocracy, and Olivier plays him brilliantly. In the latter half of his career, he took film roles for the money and was quite open about it. Here, however, you can see he relishes playing Wyke and is having a ball speaking Schaffer's fantastic lines.

Caine- one of history's most natural screen actors- is terrific as the cocky businessman Tindle. His performance is one of much depth, he plays Tindle like a working-class tinderbox ready to ignite the moment anyone mentions his accent. His disrespect for Wyke clouds his judgement, and he can't see when he's being played by the old man. Whereas Olivier is formal and exact, Caine is like a jazz musician, going this way and that with the rhythm; and his is arguably the better performance.

As an aside, in 2007, Caine starred as Wyke in Kenneth Branagh's remake, written by Harold Pinter. While the film isn't as good, it's interesting to see him play both characters; and in both he overshadows his screen partner.

This could very well be one of- if not the- best adaptations of a play ever put to film. It is beautifully photographed by Oswald Morris, who also served as cinematographer for the screen versions of 'Oliver' and 'Fiddler on the Roof'- he clearly understood how to adapt theatre for the screen.

The stirring, John Addison score signifies mystery and intrigue like few others have done before or since, and the set design is remarkably detailed and rich. Wyke's manor is so full of memorabilia, knick knacks and automata it makes the Thrombey mansion from the overrated 'Knives Out' look positively sparse.

Terrific performances from two fine actors, crisp cinematography, tight direction from Joseph L Mankiewicz, incredible set design and a brilliant, complex Anthony Schaffer screenplay- what more could you ask for? This two-hander whodunnit is fiendishly good.

Brilliant film about two men (Oscar nominees Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine) who meet at Olivier's house and go over an elaborate scheme to keep Olivier's fortune when his wife (about to divorce him to be with Caine) leaves him by staging a robbery performed by Caine. The strangeness does not stop there though as the two men each have personal motives and the twists and turns become dizzying as the movie progresses. Laurence Olivier is truly magnificent here, as he almost always was. Michael Caine, only 39 at the time, holds his own and that is far from an easy thing to do in a production like this. Joseph L. Mankiewicz's brilliant direction makes a film that could have been very dull into a stunning cinematic experience that stands tall against other films from the 1970s and all other decades for that matter. 5 stars out of 5.

Sleuth is based on an outstanding stage play by Anthony Shaffer. Sometimes, a work which succeeded on the stage doesn't transfer well to the big screen. Movies like Equus and Dangerous Corner - which were a delight in theatres - lose their power under the close scrutiny of a film camera. Sleuth is not a failure. It retains its stagebound plot, characters and dialogue, but somehow manages to be totally engrossing as well.

Part of the joy is due to Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine. The two giants of Britsh acting don't chew the scenery in an attempt to out-shine each other; they complement each other quite brilliantly and turn in two of the finest screen performances you could ever aspire to see. Olivier plays elderly author Andrew Wyke, an obscenely wealthy, well-educated and devious man. Caine is Milo Tindle, a charming, ever-polite young hairdresser. Milo visits Andrew to ask for his blessing in marrying his estranged wife. Although Andrew seems fairly open to the idea of giving away his wife (after all, they despise each other) he still feels stung by her exit, so he engineers a cruel game to humiliate Milo. But who is playing a trick on who?

The dialogue is terrific, but it needed terrific actors to get the best out of it. Caine and Oloivier do a fine job. Ken Adams' set design turns Olivier's gorgeous palatial house into a dazzling mansion of madness. The tinkly music by John Addison creates a playful yet ever-so-slightly uncomfortable mood. Joseph L. Mankiewicz directs perfectly, getting maximum suspense from his staging of scenes and thoughtful choice of camera angles. The twists are superbly disguised, especially the awesome "shock" climax which will blow you away. See Sleuth - it's one of the best!

In England, the Italian English hairdresser Milo Tindle (Michael Caine) is invited by the successful writer of detective stories Andrew Wyke (Laurence Olivier) to visit his isolated house. The lower class Milo is the lover of Andrew's wife, who is used to have a comfortable life, and he intends to marry her. Andrew proposes Milo to steal his jewelry simulating a burglary. Milo would make a fortune selling the jewels to an intermediary; and Andrew would be reimbursed by the insurance company and would not pay alimony. However, the whole situation was part of an evil game. When Milo vanishes, a detective visits Andrew to investigate what really happened that night, when deadly games are disclosed.

"Sleuth" proves that a great screenplay, an outstanding director, two top-notch actors and four scenarios suffice to make an excellent movie with four nominations to the Oscar. The intelligent and wit theatrical story has amazing lines and twists in a duel of cat and mouse between two icons, and has not aged. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Trama Diabólica" ("Diabolic Plot")