Writer: Harold Pinter
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Cast: Michael Caine, Jude Law, Harold Pinter
Rating: R
Studio: Sony Home Entertainment
Release Date: March 11, 2008

As a remake, this movie had the ability to be either excellent or a flop. In this case, I am told that it heavily depends on whether or not you have seen the original film. I have not seen the original, so all I was able to go one was the performance of Michael Caine and Jude Law. Anyone who has seen either the original or this one, knows that is because in Sleuth there are only two actors. The entire movie rests on these two men’s shoulders. Offering drama, comedy, and some thrilling moments of conniving pranks, Sleuth was able to make me laugh and keep me interested throughout the entire film.

Jude Law especially caught my attention, though this is not the first time that he has done that in a film. Law is one of the most interesting actors of his time. His character, and his acting here, is both enigmatic and spellbinding. In the original film, Michael Caine actually played the role that Jude Law has in this remake. Now he is in the role of the older gentleman rather than the younger. As you might expect with anything that Michael Caine does, the results are beautifully crafted from the movement of his arm to the power in his dialogue. Caine is a power player when it comes to acting. He knows how to make all the right moves while making it look absolutely effortless. Two men could not have been better suited for a movie such as this.

Release Information:
Despite cattiness by the fans of the original film in relation to making a remake of it, many were hopeful thanks to the big names that were associated with this project. Harold Pinter (The Handmaid’s Tale) was the screenwriter on this project. According to reports, much of this screenplay was changed in little ways from the original. Being that Pinter had never seen the original that could explain why things were changed as they were. However, these are not things that will affect you if you have not seen the original.

Sleuth did the film festival circuit before any full promotional campaign or any major theatrical release. The film debuted at the Venice film Festival and soon moved on to Aspen, Copenhagen, Calgary, and other international festivals to finish things off. The theater run must have been either limited or incredibly small because I don’t remember it happening. Sleuth hit DVD shelves on March 11, 2008. The movie is available on a one disc DVD in a standard case. You can pick this up at Amazon and other retailers for around $20.

The Sleuth Plot
The plot for this remake of Sleuth hasn’t changed a great deal from the 1972 version. The main changes here deal with the setting moreso than anything else. Andrew Wyke (Michael Caine) is one of just two characters in this film. The other is Milo Tindle (Jude Law). The men have the same woman in common. Wyke has been married to her for 14 years and Tindle is the new boyfriend. He has come to Wyke for a man to man talk, wanting to ensure that he will allow a divorce.

Andrew Wyke is a writer who appears standoffish, bitter, and slightly psychotic above all else. This causes the film to feel quite cynical, somewhat dark, and have a hard edge to it that may or may not have been there the first time around. Caine played Tindle in the original so it is interesting to see him come back to this movie decades later as the older lead in the film. Law takes Caine’s role as Tindle and it’s not the first time he has done this. Law was also in Alfie, which was a remake that had Caine in the title role in that case, as well.

Tindle is a part-time, out of work actor that comes to the secluded mansion of Andrew Wyke. Wyke is the exact opposite of Tindle. He is a successful author living in a huge home in the middle of nowhere. Tindle visits Wyke hoping to attain a divorce from Wyke’s wife of 14 years. While Wyke is not interested in offering that divorce, he does have a proposition for the young actor. The proposition is rather simple. He wants him to break in his home and steal some jewelry from the safe. The robbery would be completely false, but it would ensure that Tindle had the money necessary to keep Wyke’s wife happy and it would give Wyke a nice fat check for his lost jewels. In the end, no one would be the wiser.

Naturally things do not go as planned. Tindle sees the trick involved here and comes back with one of his own. In the end, it’s hard to tell if either of them has ever spoken a true word in this scheme to make the other man suffer. Wyke is erratic and dangerous while Tindle is sexy and suggestive in his own amusing way.

My advice is to suspend all thought of the old film and concentrate on enjoying stellar performances by both actors and a great job in direction by Kenneth Branagh. It is the performances that keep this movie going. The screenplay took a dreary tone here, but the actors create a dynamic that allows them to perfectly feed off one another. Rather than just reading lines and playing a part, the two men make a constant effort to win a war of words against the other man. While there are moments of irony and humor, the true pleasure comes from the psychological thriller found here.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
Where people might feel Sleuth has failed them in the plot department they can make no complaint about this stellar video quality. The aspect ratio for Sleuth is 2.35:1. It is just a gorgeous transfer with crisp colors and a flawless appearance. There were no noticeable errors to be found. It’s quite possible that this is the best part of the film.

The audio transfer is not as amazing as the video quality, but it’s certainly nothing to complain about. The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. The sound is clear throughout with no volume toggling necessary. In addition to the basic audio, subtitles are available in English, French, and Spanish.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
Sleuth has a number of special features including two commentaries, a couple of featurettes, and some previews to round things out. The previews play before the movie begins, as you might see in the theater or before a million other DVDs. As this is a Sony release, all of the previews will be for other Sony films or sets. The two commentaries that are available are from Jude Law (he also plays producer here) and the other is from the director and Michael Caine. Both tracks are interesting in their own way. Law is incredibly informative in his track, but many will prefer the other track merely because of the conversation style aspect.

The featurettes offer an addition 18 minutes worth of content. If you have not seen the movie you will want to avoid these featurettes as they do contain some big spoilers that you won’t want to see prior to the film. The featurettes include the 15 minute “A Game of Cat & Mouse: Behind the Scenes of Sleuth” and the nearly three minute “Inspector Black: Make-Up Secrets Revealed”.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
Sleuth is not going to be for everyone. Most of the people that have seen the 1972 original are not going to like this, especially if they make an effort to compare the two films. However, if you’ve not seen the original this is definitely worth watching. If you like Michael Caine and/or Jude Law you will find this movie highly entertaining. Law holds his own and makes for an excellent choice for the younger man in this two man film. If you’ve seen the original you might want to try renting this one first.

Overall Rating:

Technorati Tags: Movie, DVD Review, Sleuth, Remake, Jude Law, Michael Caine, Adultery, Divorce, Trickery

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