Movie Review - Sleuth

SLEUTH

This was my first opportunity to watch a movie which has been adapted from a play. To say, I don’t have much of an experience with theatres; had been very lazy to go and savor the creativity they offer but would really want to be regulars at some nearby theatre some point of time. This leaves me with quite a limited knowledge to comment on which nuances of histrionics were caught in the movie and which went unattended. When it comes to movie however, it was a great experience.
The movie starts a little low and the first few minutes give an idea as if it is yet another slow boring movie. At least that is what I was feeling at the beginning. Once it starts with the pace it takes you for a joy ride. Laurence Olivier is a mystery books rich old writer whose wife is in love with a young salon owner played by Michael Caine. Olivier summons Caine to his home in order to decide on how should the whole process of letting go her wife should go. This however is a disguise; what Olivier actually wishes is to humiliate Caine for the act of stealing his wife. The story then seems to take a paradigm shift when both Olivier starts a battle of wits with Caine eventually manipulating him to do play a game between both of them. The movie then takes a couple of major twists which leaves audience glued to their seats and just like the storyline. To be honest, I possibly can’t talk anything more about the plot otherwise it will be no fun watching the movie.
The movie is an adaptation of the play ‘Sleuth’ by Anthony Shaffer. After running successfully this movie was conceived and as from my opinion full justice to the original play has been done by the movie/director. The whole movie revolves around just two characters and so they had to be absolutely fantastic thought the movie. Olivier, no doubt one of the finest thespians of the 20th century plays it brilliantly to be matched very well by the then young Caine. The chemistry between the two is absolutely stunning proving the mettle they have in theatre and also justifying the need of it in the movie. The number of games scattered around in the house might give an uncanny feeling thereby giving a mysterious environment to the whole plot. Shaffer has done a great job to write good dialogues delivered in even better way. Olivier’s “Sex is the game, marriage is just the punishment” not only made me smile but made me wonder how well he had said it to perfectly suit the character when it could have very well been said in so many different manners. This was my first encounter with Olivier and I would like to see more of his works. It is a disappointment that Caine did not get many opportunities to work in classics like this; it would have been great to see him perform in such mesmerizing roles.
If you are a fan of David Fincher’s ‘The Game’, ‘Se7ven’ etc, this movie is highly recommended because after seeing what Shaffer has been able to produce a few decades earlier these movies just look like the predecessors of a suave reclusive cult. This movie comes under my list of one of those movies which I would want to see time and again in my life.

My Rating: 9.25/10.00