Sleuth (1972)

Milo Tindle and Andrew Wyke have something in common, Andrew's wife. In an attempt to find a way out of this without costing Andrew a fortune in alimony, he suggests Milo pretend to rob his house and let him claim the insurance on the stolen jewelry. The problem is that they don't really like each other and each cannot avoid the zinger on the other. The plot has many shifts in which the advantage shifts between Milo and Andrew.

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!

*** General Parameters ***- Name:  Sleuth (1972).m4v - Container:  M4V - QuickTime - Size:  1.235 GB - Duration:  2h 18mn - Bitrate:  1 189 Kbps *** Video Track Parameters ***- Format:  H.264/MPEG-4 AVC - Bitrate:  Max.: Undefined / Average: 1 071 Kbps / Min.: Undefined - Frame rate (fps):  Max.: 29.970 / Average: 23.976 / Min.: 19.969 - Encoding profile:  Main@L3.0 - Image size:  702*480 (832 x 480 pixels Actual)- Pixel Aspect Ratio:  Undefined - Display Aspect Ratio:  1.733 - Interlacing:  Progressive *** First Audio Track Parameters ***- Format:  AAC - MPEG-4 audio - Bitrate:  112 Kbps - Resolution:  Undefined - Rate:  48.0 KHz - Channel(s):  2 (stereo) - Position:  Front: L R