Review of Sleuth (2007) by Michael — 06 Aug 2008

Absolutely ridiculous. Harold Pinter's rambling, incoherent screenplay plays like a first draft of a trashy B movie script. This is, of course, a remake of the 1972 original starring Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine, with Caine playing the role Jude law played in the remake.

While the original had it's faults, such as being a bit too long and dragging in some spots, it stands as a truly underrated classic written by the superb Anthony Schaeffer. The games playing between Olivier and Caine build momentum through the film and all three acts of the film tie in together perfectly.

There's a reason behind each of their maddening steps to one-up each other. In the remake, there is fairly good acting but they are trying so hard to breathe life into a vapid screenplay that none of their work pays off.

The films never really delves deep enough into the back story of these two men and their feud and contains a very strange gay angled twist at the end. Kenneth Brannagh's direction is frustrating. With his overlong aerial shots, shots that cut off the heads of his two actors and lingering still shots that rely on the overly teched up house to thrill you, rather than any kind of real story telling.

The film, if you appreciate real film making and storytelling in the slightest, is an extreme letdown. I'm sad to see Michael Caine's name anywhere near this project, and Brannagh's for that matter.

If you're interested in seeing this film, skip it and rent the original.