Sleuth (1972)

Sleuth
Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Written by Anthony Shaffer from his play
1972/UK
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/My DVD collection
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Andrew Wyke: You said everything was in plain view!
Milo Tindle: Well aren’t I the shifty old sly boots, then.

Imagine a movie where two very different but great actors try to upstage each other for the entire running time.  Now imagine they are given a brilliantly literate screenplay and one of the best directors of Hollywood’s Golden Age.  That is Sleuth.

It would be criminal to give away any of the plot so I will but set the stage.  Andrew Wyke (Lawrence Olivier) writes old-fashioned crime fiction replete with a brilliant aristocratic private detective and dense police inspectors.  He lives in a palatial estate in the English country side. Every inch of the house and grounds is stuffed with playthings.  Anywhere you look there is a puzzle, or a mechanical toy, or other kind of oddity,  Despite his proclivity for “fun”, Andrew is in all respects a very conservative, class-conscious lord of the manor.  He has a sharp tongue and a keen wit.

Milo Tendle (Michael Caine) is a much-younger half-Italian hairdresser from Soho.  He has been having an affair with Andrew’s wife and wants to marry her.  Andrew has invited Milo to his place to discuss the matter.  What Milo lacks in breeding he makes up for in street smarts and cunning. Let the games begin!

I saw this on stage and then this film on original release.  Fortunately, I forgot some of the plot twists!  At any rate, there is so much to look at and absorb that I can’t imagine this movie ever getting old. Such fun to watch Olivier and Caine do their thing!  Highly recommended.

Both Caine and Olivier were nominated for the Best Actor Oscar rejected by Marlon Brando.  Both of them were as good and had more screen time than Brando but, of course, The Godfather has “important” written all over it.  Mankiewicz got a nod for Best Director and John Addison was nominated for his Originial Score

This was Mankiewicz’s last theatrical film.  Nice to see him go out on a high.