Sleuth (1972)

Director:

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Writers:

Anthony Shaffer (play)
Anthony Shaffer (screenplay)

Release Date:

10 December 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

If it was murder, where's the body? [original movie poster]

Plot:

A man who loves games and theater invites his wife's lover to meet him, setting up a battle of wits with potentially deadly results.

Plot Keywords:

Minimal Cast | Disguise | All Male Cast | One Word Title | Battle Of Wits

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 7 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Tue. July 15

12:00 PM

TCM

Cast

Laurence Olivier	...	Andrew Wyke
Michael Caine	...	Milo Tindle
Alec Cawthorne	...	Inspector Doppler
John Matthews	...	Detective Sergeant Tarrant
Eve Channing	...	Marguerite Wyke
Teddy Martin	...	Police Constable Higgs

Runtime:

138 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:M | UK:15 | Netherlands:16 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Sweden:15 | UK:AA | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Athelhampton House, Athelhampton, Dorset, England, UK

Company:

Palomar Pictures

Trivia:

John Addison was nominated for an Oscar for his music score. However, he was not originally among the five nominees when the nominations were announced. He was added to the list after the score for The Godfather (1972) was deemed ineligible.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Inspector Doppler is interviewing Andrew on Sunday Morning, Andrew's paper is folded and put over the arm of his chair twice.

Quotes:

Inspector Doppler: Not to appear facetious, sir, but you had better tell that to a judge.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Story of 'Frenzy' (2001) (V)

Soundtrack:

Just one of these things

A brilliantly twisty mystery.

My parents saw "Sleuth" on Broadway, during its original run, just a year or so before this film was released. Watching the movie I can see how it would make a good play, but by the same token, it is not a translation that feels slow, or wordy, or unsuited to the screen. The adaptation is excellent, without "opening up" the play too much. If you're a fan of mysteries, you'll be intrigued by the performances and the script. Joseph Mankiewicz's direction isn't terribly flashy, but subtle and well-done.

Laurence Olivier stars as Andrew Wyke, a famous mystery novel writer. Milo Tindle (Michael Cane), comes to visit him one weekend; asking for Andrew's wife's hand in marriage. But things aren't as simple as they first appear. Andrew wants something in return from Milo. And then again, maybe he doesn't.

The film unfolds slowly and patiently; you almost feel like the film's sentient and realizes how juicy its secrets are, holding on to them for as long as possible. There are numerous twists and surprises in the film; and even if you see one or two coming (as I did), don't expect to get it all right until it's over. It's best not to know at all what is going to happen, so I'll leave you with no more clues.

I enjoyed nearly every moment after the initial meeting between Milo and Andrew. Once Cane and Olivier really get going in their scenes, the film never looks back. They are exceptional in their performances, and deservedly earned nominations for Best Actor Oscars.

So who wins? Does anyone win? Is it a game with a winner at all? Oh just go rent it already!