I haven’t seen the original 1972 Sleuth in a long time. I first saw it as kid when it aired on Turner Classic Movies and remember thinking it was very interesting. I knew that there had been a remake starring Jude Law and Michael Caine playing the Olivier role but I never did get around to seeing it until just recently. The pitch is quite tempting. A crime thriller based upon a beloved classic starring very talented actors. That certainly sound like a winning idea -and in fact , it is a winning IDEA – but unfortunately I just don’t think this particular pitch proves to be successful in the end.
The problem is not the cast or even the director. Michael Caine and Jude Law both do an impressive job delivering intense performances. And not only are Caine and Law good on their own, they also have a nice crackling chemistry that works. There isn’t really anyone to root for in Sleuth, both of these men prove themselves to be not the most upstanding of gentlemen and I like that idea. The idea of two men with pretty loose morals vying against one another, mostly because of a woman they have in common, could make for a wickedly entertaining venture.
The main obstacle that stands in the way of this being the film the filmmakers desired is the script. The script provides the audience with isolated moments of satisfaction and entertainment but those moments don’t come often enough and by the end, you don’t feel as if you’ve seen something very intriguing.
By the end, I really just had a feeling of indifference because the script only provides you with a certain amount of interesting material and then it sort it wonders about in the second half.
The first half of this is definitely better. I feel that a lot of what goes on in the second half is pretty empty. They flirt with an interesting plot detail but don’t go very far into it. They tease us with something intriguing and then really only scrape the surface, which is frustrating.
I kind of knew what the very end of the film would look like just because I didn’t think there was a way they could wrap this thing up without doing what they do. While the final event is thrilling, the punch that it packs is less impactful due to the meandering that goes on beforehand.
I think if they had elaborated more on some of the ideas and plot details they hinted at, then it could have been more interesting and the final event would have carried more weight. And when a film only features two characters and they spend the entire length of the film in one location, you just have to have a lot of meaty material to run on, or else it becomes tedious.
I love the setup of two people in a manor trying to outwit one another and trick each other. That kind of setup makes for mind bending edge of your seat entertainment. But like I said, in this remake they really just brush the surface of what a film of this nature could be.
It’s unquestionable that Caine and Law are the best things Sleuth has to offer up. The other big positive is the set design. The look and build of Caine’s characters Manor is striking and makes for a good playing ground.
Sleuth is a remake that provides a limited amount of entertainment, mostly due to Michael Caine and Jude Law. This ends up being a thriller that only scrapes the surface of its potential.
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