The Last of Sheila

A Hollywood producer whose wife was killed in a hit and run brings six people together for a week on his yacht, and plays a little game with them. A card is passed out to each of them with a piece of gossip, e.g. "You are a shoplifter," and each evening in port, after being provided a clue, the guests are meant to figure out who is holding one of the cards. The goal of the game is to figure out everyone else's card, while not revealing one's own. Not surprisingly, there is something a little sadistic in the game, with the producer having used real secrets about the guests, but having doled them out to different people.

James Coburn is solid as the producer, and James Mason, Dyan Cannon, and Richard Benjamin all turn in fine performances as guests (I wish I could say the same about Raquel Welch). There are lots of barbs in the dialogue as the characters banter with one another. Without spoiling anything, I love how the game doesn't play out in such a linear way. There is a game within the game, and some fun twists, even if they do get a little complicated. The only thing is, I'm not sure the motivation of the killer made complete sense, given what the killer already knew. The identity of the child molester and how little is made of that fact is a little disturbing too. That said, it's a fun film and I loved the subversiveness of the ending.

Unknown and forgotten for several decades, this whodunnit has a new life following the recent KNIVES OUT movies. Although theres no direct connection, the influence of LAST OF SHEILA is very apparent. This is a clever, funny murder-mystery with a megawatt cast. Set on a boat in the Mediterranean, the plot centers on a group of friends who suspect each other of murder as they reveal personal secrets and scandals. The script was written by Anthony Perkins and Stephen Sondheim, so that alone makes it a must-see. Perkins adds a biting, cynical critique of Hollywood and celebrity as most of the characters are in the movie industry. The actors are excellent, and its especially great to watch Richard Benjamin in top '70s form. And James Mason - endlessly quotable.

The Last of Sheila, a star-packed murder mystery written by Broadway legends, really doesn't start or even progress with much momentum at all, but when the true wheels of the actual murder puzzle start turning, it pulls a lot of palpable tension and sharp dialogue out of nowhere and does the job. It doesn't help that first half that I was tempted to turn it off, but the fact that the intrigue ratcheted up at the precise moment when I was going to is what saved it by a hair's breadth. And I'm glad I stuck it out. It proved itself worthwhile.

The movie comes out of a fine heritage of murder puzzles from such as Agatha Christie and Patricia Highsmith. In fact, it's a little rare to see this material showing up first as a movie. It feels like the sort of story that would start life as a play. Bringing seven people together and then doing the old "one of the people sitting here amongst us is a murderer" schtick is inherently stagy. Nevertheless, it functions well as a movie, perhaps since the screenplay has as much to do with characters as with crime. The movie was written by Stephen Sondheim and Anthony Perkins, and they flaunt an apparent sense of showbiz manners and dialogue. They've also play Name That Tune with us: We can enjoy speculating who the bitchy agent was motivated by, or the director on the skids, or the centerfold, each played respectively by Dyan Cannon, James Mason and Raquel Welch, two out of three of whom kept me watching purely just to watch.

I like the concept of a murder mystery set among showbiz types because Hollywood is often thought to be shy about death and shrink from it. Genuine sorrow seems quite rare. The movie opens as a watchful-waiting stratagem concerning Coburn and the killer, which is latently intriguing though it rambles too far away from the point of tension and plays more like a '60s romp than an expository double-blind. Yet it makes a striking hairpin halfway through. And it actually is a game to them; they don't spend time mourning when somebody dies, just clean up the blood and tally one more loser against their competition for a win. And yet it's barely started until just two of these characters spend a great deal of time deliberately hammering out the true significance of the clues, a scene so tight, well-acted, well-written and loaded with sharp wit that it makes the whole package worth it.

A better part of the performances are pointed and mercenary, and very good, particularly James Mason with his typical cultured obstinacy. Dyan Cannon as the agent. Joan Hackett is beautiful and tender, and Richard Benjamin treads a fine line between voice of reason and a screenwriter trying to think in formulas. Coburn is always entertaining owing to his sheer presence and it's interesting watching an Ian McShane so much younger than anyone my age is aware he ever was. Welch is quite wooden by comparison, but as I said before

Superb, darkly and wickedly comic whodunit from screenwriters Stephen Sondheim and Anthony Perkins, with all the pieces right there for you to place. Cunning James Coburn is the movie producer and game-aficionado who invites to his yacht the failed screenwriter (Richard Benjamin), his alcoholic wife (Joan Hackett, in a sympathetic performance), the catty agent (Dyan Cannon, more wired than ever before), the starlet (Raquel Welch, looking a bit dazed), the starlet's husband (Ian McShane) and a director down-on-his-luck (James Mason, the calm-head who pays attention to the details). The only trouble with "The Last of Sheila" is that the first-half, involving a hilarious personality game, is so clever, we want more of it; the murder-mystery second-volley is an acting showpiece, but not quite as engaging. Still, these characters are a wonderfully tainted, self-absorbed lot, and Cannon's mini-breakdown after someone almost offs her is a wild bit of hysterical showing off. I also admired Welch's scene at midnight on the top deck, talking about stealing a coat (she's very seductive and charming, though she continues to whisper her dialogue throughout the film and fails to make the strong impression each of her co-stars do). The character conflicts and the reasoning behind who-does-what-to-whom doesn't bear a great deal of scrutiny (and even after several viewings, I'm still not clear on that business regarding the cabin keys); however, the picture is extremely entertaining, a verbally exciting match-of-wits by a group of Hollywood hopefuls and burn-outs. ***1/2 from ****

The Last of Sheila is a totally engaging, intriguing, and all round entertaining whodunit, it features some wonderful actors, beautiful locations around the French Riviera, and a truly memorable ending.

The setup is such a clever one, the plot is really rather intricate. What surprises me most is just how intensely dark it is, if you watch closely you'll see some rather bleak clues, darker then it appears on the surface.

Plenty of beautiful people, Dyan Cannon, Raquel Welch and Richard Benjamin, but the acting all round is excellent.

Some witty lines, all well delivered. It is very much of its time.

Cleverly done, a favourite. 9/10