Sleuth (2007)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

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 | Author | Country Estate | Writer

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Michael Caine	...	Andrew
Jude Law	...	Milo
Harold Pinter	...	Man on T.V.
Carmel O'Sullivan	...	Maggie
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kenneth Branagh	...	Other Man on T.V. (uncredited)

Directed by
Kenneth Branagh

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Harold Pinter		screenplay
Anthony Shaffer		play

Produced by
Kenneth Branagh	....	producer
Simon Halfon	....	producer
Ben Jackson	....	co-producer
Jude Law	....	producer
Simon Moseley	....	producer
Marion Pilowsky	....	producer
Tom Sternberg	....	producer

Original Music by
Patrick Doyle

Cinematography by
Haris Zambarloukos

Film Editing by
Neil Farrell

Production Design by
Tim Harvey

Set Decoration by
Celia Bobak

Costume Design by
Alexandra Byrne

Makeup Department
Eileen Kastner-Delago	....	hair designer
Eileen Kastner-Delago	....	makeup designer
Eileen Kastner-Delago	....	prosthetics designer
Mitch Lumsden	....	hair stylist
Kelly Marazzi	....	key makeup artist
Stephen Murphy	....	prosthetics makeup artist
Matthew Smith	....	key prosthetic makeup technican (uncredited)

Production Management
John David Gunkle	....	unit manager
Emily Stillman	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Guy Heeley	....	first assistant director
Olivia Lloyd	....	second assistant director
Charlie Reed	....	third assistant director

Sound Department
Stuart Bagshaw	....	additional foley editor
Howard Bargroff	....	sound re-recording mixer
Paula Boram	....	foley artist
Mike Grimes	....	supervising sound editor
Dan Johnson	....	adr recordist
Stephane Malenfant	....	second boom operator
Zak Melemendjian	....	dialogue editor
Shaun Mills	....	boom operator
Emma Pegram	....	assistant sound re-recording mixer
Jack Stew	....	foley artist
Chris Sturmer	....	sound consultant: dolby
David Turner	....	post audio project manager
Bradley Waller	....	sound editor
Michele Woods	....	supervising dialogue editor

Special Effects by
David Harris	....	special effects supervisor
Graham Hills	....	special effects senior technician

Visual Effects by
Richard Elson	....	visual effects editor
Sarah Hemsley	....	visual effects producer: The Senate VFX
Richard Higham	....	visual effects supervisor: The Senate VFX
Simon Leech	....	digital artist: The Senate VFX
Gareth Repton	....	digital artist: The Senate VFX
Samantha Spacey	....	visual effects line producer: The Senate VFX
Luigi Tommaseo	....	network and operations: The Senate VFX
Thomas Urbye	....	preview colourist: The Look
Rachel Wright	....	digital artist: The Senate VFX
Anton Yri	....	digital artist: The Senate VFX

Stunts
Bradley Farmer	....	stunt double: Jude Law
Paul Kennington	....	stunt double
Paul Weston	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
David Appleby	....	still photographer
Simon Baker	....	Steadicam operator
Simon Baker	....	camera operator: "a" camera
Tim Battersby	....	additional first assistant camera
Ashley Bond	....	first assistant camera
Ann Marie Crotty	....	video playback operator
Howard Davidson	....	electrician
Hamish Doyne-Ditmas	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Brian Fawcett	....	additional lighting technician
Rob Gilmour	....	camera trainee
Alice Hobden	....	assistant camera
Ahmet Husseyin	....	camera trainee
Rupert Lloyd-Parry	....	key grip
Dan Lowe	....	rigging gaffer
Shaun Mone	....	best boy: location
Shaun Mone	....	electrician: Twickenham
Luke Redgrave	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Simon Thorpe	....	grip
Julian White	....	gaffer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Melanie Carter	....	costume maker
Richard Sale	....	assistant costume designer
James Smith	....	costumer: Mr. Caine (as Jimmy Smith)

Editorial Department
Greg Barrett	....	senior digital intermediate producer
John Claude	....	digital intermediate colorist
Lorene Dewett	....	apprentice assistant editor: FT2
Daniel Farrell	....	additional editor
Paul Shore	....	on-line editor
Thora Woodward	....	editor trainee

Music Department
Christopher Benstead	....	music editor
Christian Howes	....	music assistant
Yann McCullough	....	additional music editor
Maggie Rodford	....	music producer: Air-Edel
James Shearman	....	orchestrator
Nick Wollage	....	score engineer & mixer

Transportation Department
Lee Isgar	....	driver: Jude Law
Colin Morris	....	personal driver

Other crew
Peter Boothby	....	production runner
Neil Chordia	....	production executive
Ben Gladstone	....	location manager
Damian Mitchell	....	assistant armorer
Richard Morrison	....	title designer
Amelia Price	....	production coordinator
Tamar Thomas	....	assistant: Mr. Branagh

Thanks
Ron Arad	....	thanks
Karl R. Austen	....	special thanks (as Karl Austen)
Victoria Belfrage	....	special thanks
Antony Gormley	....	thanks
Simon Halls	....	special thanks
Gary Hume	....	thanks
Sara Keene	....	special thanks
Patrick Whitesell	....	special thanks
Modi Wiczyk	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Sony Pictures Classics (and)
• Castle Rock Entertainment (present)
• Riff Raff Film Productions
• Timnick Films
• Media Rights Capital

Distributors

• MG Film (2008) (Croatia) (all media)
• Buena Vista International Finland (2007) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Cathay-Keris Films (2008) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Concorde Filmverleih (2007) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Concorde Home Entertainment (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
• LK-TEL (2008) (Argentina) (DVD)
• LK-TEL (2008) (Argentina) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• LK-TEL (2008) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Long Shong Entertainment Multimedia Company (2007) (Taiwan) (theatrical)
• Long Shong Entertainment Multimedia Company (2008) (Taiwan) (theatrical)
• Mongrel Media (2007) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Paradise Group (2008) (Russia) (all media)
• Paramount Pictures International (2008) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Paramount Pictures International (2008) (South Africa) (theatrical)
• Paramount Pictures International (2008) (UK) (theatrical)
• RCV Film Distribution (2008) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• RCV Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Classics (2007) (USA) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Nordic (2008) (Finland) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-Ray Disc)
• Sony Pictures Releasing (2008) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Viva International Pictures (2008) (Philippines) (theatrical)

Special Effects

• Midnight Transfer (digital grading)
• Senate Visual Effects, The (visual effects by) (uncredited)

Other Companies

• Arion Facilities  dailies telecine transfers
• Audiolink Radio Communications  walkie talkies
• Compuhire  computer and video playback
• Eisner & Frank  production legal
• Gearbox Sound and Vision  additional ProTools systems supplied by
• Kodak  motion picture film supplied by
• Look, The  post-production facilities
• Media Rights Capital  funding
• Media Safety  health and safety
• Panavision UK  camera equipment provided by
• Salon  avid editing equipment
• Sapex Scripts  post-production services
• Temptu  tattoos
• Varèse Sarabande  soundtrack

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 film had an entire cast of two. This remake has one extra character: playwright Harold Pinter, who does a cameo as a man on the television.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene where Andrew is explaining how Milo can break into the house, a security monitor shows the ladder against the side of the house. Moments earlier, the same ladder was shown to be on its side on the ground.

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)

Worth taking a look at, if not for the plot, then for the powerful performances by Law and Caine and unique (if flawed) direction by Branagh

Luckily for me, I didn't watch the original 1972 version of Sleuth, so I didn't know what to expect upon entering the theater, nor did I have any previous basis of comparison. That's a good thing, you see, as this slick and stylish one-on-one thriller kept me and my friend on the edge of our seats throughout its whole 86 minutes running time. Now, this may seem short for a film like this, but trust me - it's a satisfying feature, that'll leave you highly entertained once the credits start to roll.

Based on a play, Sleuth confronts two extremely clever British men in a game of trickery and deceit. Our characters are Andrew Wyke (the one and only Michael Cain), an aging famous author who lives alone in a high-tech mansion after his wife Maggie has left him for a younger man; and Milo Tindle, the younger man, an aspiring actor, equipped with charm and wit(portrayed by the always charmantic Jude Law, who demonstrates both qualities once again). When Wyke invite Tindle to his mansion, Tindle seeks to convince the former into letting his wife go by signing the divorce paper. However, Wyke seems far more interested in playing mind games with his wife's new lover, and lures him into a series of actions he thoroughly planned in seeking revenge on his unfaithful spouse.

Much can't be said about what happens from here on out without spoiling the movie, but I'll try the best to bring the jest of what I felt towards the end result whilst speaking in general terms.

As a play would unfold, Sleuth is built of three prominent acts, each raising the stakes our protagonists are willing to take as part of this one-on-one confrontation. However, while I found the first two extremely sarcastic, intriguing and dare I say mean (but not in a cruel manner); the final act was a bit of a let down, one that didn't live up to the lofty anticipation the first two led me into building.

Alas, these reservations of mine are what kept this film from becoming a real treat in my book, and left it more in the realms of an entertaining ride of a lesser value (for me). Still, I don't regret I checked this one out for one second. Law and Caine both hand out terrific performances, with Law outdoing even himself this time. This superb actor demonstrates a wide range of emotions on screen, and tricking even good old cynic me in the second act at that. I really wish he'd gain more recognition for his ongoing work, and the year end awards which are rapidly approaching are a good place to start. If the Academy will dismiss\ignore his work here, I'll be really disappointed this time around.

Another good thing to keep your eye out for while checking this one out is the wonderful camera work and musical theme that haunt you throughout the feature. Special kudos goes to director Kenneth Branagh, who shows us how a talky script could easy become a sufficient thriller by knowing when and where to place the camera, and how to place the proper lighting and music in a given scene. It's this experience and technique that help turn 2007's Sleuth into an effective piece of work; one that's worth taking a look at, if not for the plot, then (to the very least) for the powerful performances by Jude Law and Michael Caine and unique direction by Branagh.

Watched at the International Haifa Film Festival, Israel, October 2007.