I've always found Anthony Schaffer one of the most overrated and snobbish writers of his era. With the exception of The Wicker Man, I don't see much to warrant his esteem, especially not the repulsive Frenzy. Sleuth however does have much to be admired, but all the same it's an oddity: a miserable comedy... a guessing game that's very predictable.... an actor's showcase which is strangely miscast...
Stage plays being turned into films is rarely a good idea, and in Sleutch's case, it was specifically a play that was about theatre, about illusion, about charade and performance, and crucially it was designed as a theatrical sleight-of-hand, it's great coup de theatre being something that can only work on stage, and only then if done by precisely the right actor.
Thanks to it' tasty script full of colourful dialogue, accents, lampooning and bitchiness, its always a joy to watch, but there are some very odd wrong notes in the movie that one has to wonder about. Olivier is absolutely bang on as Wyke, a man you'd hate to be friends with but can't get enough of on screen. But Caine, despite giving his best shot at Milo, is all at sea. He is not the bronzed Lothario nouveau rich playboy who threatens Wyke's Olde England. And he fails completely to fool us with his Inspector Doppler. How would Wyke, who is such a master of games playing, be so fooled? Caine never gives a bad performance, but Milo is a part for a character actor: Finney or Bates would indeed have been perfect. His accent and manor are not easily camouflaged. He's not a chameleon actor.
Also there are some very odd cuts in the film. What's with the red jacket Milo moves near the end? There are some very odd cutaways to inanimate objects that don't really do anything for the movie. And the house itself isn't quite the puzzle palace it out to be. The film just doesn';t quite capture the "fun" of it all.
The relationship between the two men is also a bit inconsistent. After Doppler is disposed of, Milo is getting changed, chatting away, having a drink. Five minutes later is is seething about Wyke's earlier treatment of him.
It also has one twist too many at the end, and stops being believable. And lets fact it, the burglary plot and clown's disguise....huh? That's all the moaning about it over, but it's still riveting entertainment!
Stage plays being turned into films is rarely a good idea, and in Sleutch's case, it was specifically a play that was about theatre, about illusion, about charade and performance, and crucially it was designed as a theatrical sleight-of-hand, it's great coup de theatre being something that can only work on stage, and only then if done by precisely the right actor.
Thanks to it' tasty script full of colourful dialogue, accents, lampooning and bitchiness, its always a joy to watch, but there are some very odd wrong notes in the movie that one has to wonder about. Olivier is absolutely bang on as Wyke, a man you'd hate to be friends with but can't get enough of on screen. But Caine, despite giving his best shot at Milo, is all at sea. He is not the bronzed Lothario nouveau rich playboy who threatens Wyke's Olde England. And he fails completely to fool us with his Inspector Doppler. How would Wyke, who is such a master of games playing, be so fooled? Caine never gives a bad performance, but Milo is a part for a character actor: Finney or Bates would indeed have been perfect. His accent and manor are not easily camouflaged. He's not a chameleon actor.
Also there are some very odd cuts in the film. What's with the red jacket Milo moves near the end? There are some very odd cutaways to inanimate objects that don't really do anything for the movie. And the house itself isn't quite the puzzle palace it out to be. The film just doesn';t quite capture the "fun" of it all.
The relationship between the two men is also a bit inconsistent. After Doppler is disposed of, Milo is getting changed, chatting away, having a drink. Five minutes later is is seething about Wyke's earlier treatment of him.
It also has one twist too many at the end, and stops being believable. And lets fact it, the burglary plot and clown's disguise....huh? That's all the moaning about it over, but it's still riveting entertainment!