Sleuth (2007)

Director:

Kenneth Branagh

Writers:

Harold Pinter (screenplay)
Anthony Shaffer (play)

Release Date:

11 October 2007 (Spain)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Obey the rules.

Plot:

On his sprawling country estate, an aging writer matches wits with the struggling actor who has stolen his wife's heart.

Plot Keywords:

Game | Divorce | Cat And Mouse | Mind Game | Estate

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Michael Caine	...	Andrew
Jude Law	...	Milo
Harold Pinter	...	Man on T.V.
Carmel O'Sullivan	...	Maggie

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language.

Runtime:

USA:86 min | Argentina:87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

USA:R | Canada:14A | Ireland:15A | Italy:T | Australia:M (re-rating after appeal) | Australia:MA (original rating) | UK:15 | Germany:12 | Argentina:16 | Taiwan:R-12 | Japan:PG-12 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | Greece:K-17 | New Zealand:M | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-13

Filming Locations:

Twickenham Film Studios, St Margarets, Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK

Company:

Sony Pictures Classics

Trivia:

The original stage production of "Sleuth" by Anthony Shaffer opened on Broadway on 12 November 1970. It originally starred Anthony Quayle as Andrew and Keith Baxter as Milo, ran for 1222 performances and won the 1971 Tony Award for the Best Play.

Goofs:

Continuity: The jewels that Milo puts onto Andrew disappears after Milo tells Andrew that it is just a game.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Andrew Wyke: Yes?
Milo Tindle: Andrew Wyke?
Andrew Wyke: That's right.
Milo Tindle: I'm Milo Tindle.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2007-10-13)" (2007)

The Darker Side Of A Darkish Comedy

Just under 90 minutes that's all it takes to retell this Anthony Shaffer comedy of deception and disguise. The characters are not quite the same, this ones allow the darker side of their nature take the upper-hand. The new house is a cold technological monstrosity instead of the country manor of Laurence Olivier. In Harold Pinter's hand and brain everything is colder, darker and Shaffer's original comedy risks to become Ira Levin's "Deathtrap" at times. Michael Caine and Jude Law are inches away from a kiss here and that's a bizarre turn of events. True, Jude Law has a sexual presence that he carries as if he didn't know was there. Everything he says has a sexual connotation whether consciously or unconsciously. His Milo Tindle looks decidedly post coital. A bit undone, unwashed. Kenneth Brannagh conducts his duet with gusto but limited not just by the natural setting of the play but by the memory of the Manckiewicz original. Caine and Law make a fun, dirty pair and it's the power of their performances that makes this very short version appear even shorter. I could have stay a few more minutes with this two. That, I suppose, it's a form of giving it a thumbs up.