Sleuth was a movie I didn't know much about, in actual fact its one of the very rare movies where I went into the cinema knowing absolutely nothing about the plot and only that it was a remake and Michael Caine and Jude Law starred in it. That was all I knew, so I sat down in my cinema seat, the first movie I ever saw on my own I hasten to add, and was wondering what I was letting myself in for. Well I'll be honest and say Sleuth is certainly original, well apart from the fact its a remake. Its a movie with only two actors in it, both of which are on extremely top form in this movie, and essentially its a movie purely containing dialogue. If I had known this before I saw the movie I probably might have questioned going to see it, it doesn't sound the most interesting of plots or films ever made. However the storyline is surprisingly compelling, well up to a point, and the direction so original that Kenneth Branagh definitely deserves a lot of praise. Alas, while the script is highly witty and the storyline initially pitch perfect, the third act just is trying to be way too smart. I spent the last twenty five minutes wondering what the hell was going on, who was good and who was bad. The storyline just turns into a bizarre mish mash with only the actors holding it together. Its this bizarre finale that makes the movie have a much lower rating and get quite tiresome by the credits. Still Sleuth is certainly a movie worth watching, and I suppose if you actually fully understand what is happening towards the end then you might adore the movie, unfortunately for me it remains a brilliant movie with a lame third act.
As I have previously said the movie has only two actors throughout the entire film. This time replacing Laurence Olivier is Michael Caine, and replacing Michael Caine is Jude Law. The casting of Michael Caine was obviously just designed to be a quirky piece of casting, but thankfully it pulls off. Caine is on top form and delivers one of his best performances in recent years. He delivers lines with an injection of venom and he delivers the funnier lines to perfection. Caine here actually does seem to be having a blast. His character is definitely at his best in the first third of the movie, and the scenes where he first meets Jude Law is perfect. Jude Law himself is surprisingly decent, not perfect, but for the majority of the time he more than holds his own against Caine. The earlier scenes, and superb middle section shows Law's talent. While Caine's character is deliciously nasty, Law's character just seems a bit of an idiot at times. Still he does very well considering the actor he acting opposite. A shame then that its Law's character that sort of spoils the last third. In fact his character just seems plain insane in the last third, in fact judging by his performance there he'd have made a Joker in the upcoming Batman movie. A shame his performance seems to stumble so much as Caine still delivers the goods. Admiteddly its the script that makes the final third just not work, but Law doesn't help matters.
As I've said before this is still a very good movie up until the end. The movie is a short, sharp punch of a movie, that while short in length remains memorable because of its impact. The storyline here at first is clever and original, a tale essentially of two egos and that's it. This movie was originally a play and I suppose this would work better on a stage rather than on a screen. The script is generally impressive, Caine gets some really great one liners and gets a great amount of swearing to do, Law gets some better lines later on but definitely plays second fiddle to Caine. The actual direction is definitely unique. Branagh placing the camera in strange places and playing heavily on the security camera. It looks strange at first but it does work surprisingly and makes good usage of the set. The actual set itself is great to look at and once again makes the movie feel more unique.
Overall Sleuth is a decent and memorable movie, in fact I wish so much the ending had been better as then I'd have given this an extremely high rating. The performances are first class for the majority and the movie itself well made. Worth checking out, but prepare yourself for a bizarre and flat final third.
As I have previously said the movie has only two actors throughout the entire film. This time replacing Laurence Olivier is Michael Caine, and replacing Michael Caine is Jude Law. The casting of Michael Caine was obviously just designed to be a quirky piece of casting, but thankfully it pulls off. Caine is on top form and delivers one of his best performances in recent years. He delivers lines with an injection of venom and he delivers the funnier lines to perfection. Caine here actually does seem to be having a blast. His character is definitely at his best in the first third of the movie, and the scenes where he first meets Jude Law is perfect. Jude Law himself is surprisingly decent, not perfect, but for the majority of the time he more than holds his own against Caine. The earlier scenes, and superb middle section shows Law's talent. While Caine's character is deliciously nasty, Law's character just seems a bit of an idiot at times. Still he does very well considering the actor he acting opposite. A shame then that its Law's character that sort of spoils the last third. In fact his character just seems plain insane in the last third, in fact judging by his performance there he'd have made a Joker in the upcoming Batman movie. A shame his performance seems to stumble so much as Caine still delivers the goods. Admiteddly its the script that makes the final third just not work, but Law doesn't help matters.
As I've said before this is still a very good movie up until the end. The movie is a short, sharp punch of a movie, that while short in length remains memorable because of its impact. The storyline here at first is clever and original, a tale essentially of two egos and that's it. This movie was originally a play and I suppose this would work better on a stage rather than on a screen. The script is generally impressive, Caine gets some really great one liners and gets a great amount of swearing to do, Law gets some better lines later on but definitely plays second fiddle to Caine. The actual direction is definitely unique. Branagh placing the camera in strange places and playing heavily on the security camera. It looks strange at first but it does work surprisingly and makes good usage of the set. The actual set itself is great to look at and once again makes the movie feel more unique.
Overall Sleuth is a decent and memorable movie, in fact I wish so much the ending had been better as then I'd have given this an extremely high rating. The performances are first class for the majority and the movie itself well made. Worth checking out, but prepare yourself for a bizarre and flat final third.