Wicked games
A
curious potpourri of a film, Sleuth is a very Pinteresque
version of Anthony Shaffer’s stage play made interesting
on the screen by the tricky photography, the stylish sets, and
the good performances in this two-handed mystery thriller. It’s
a rather Readers Digest remake of the 1972 Joseph L. Manciewicz
film of Shaffer’s play, being 50 minutes shorter. The original
featured Laurence Olivier as Wyke and Michael Caine playing Tindle;
but now we have Michael Caine as Wyke and Jude Law in the Tindle
role. Law appeared as Alfie in the remake of the film that brought
Caine to fame and fortune.
Sleuth is really the story of a confrontation
between two of life’s losers. Out of work actor and chauffeur
Milo Tindle (Jude Law) turns up at the grand country mansion of
celebrated crime novelist Andrew Wyke (Michael Caine). Tindle
is there trying to convince Wyke to divorce his wife who has run
off with him (Milo, that is). Wyke belittles his rival, comparing
immediately on the doorstep the size of their cars. Superciliously
mocking the younger man who responds maliciously telling tales
of sensual pleasure with Wyke’s wife.
Surprisingly Wyke makes a proposition, he’ll
divorce his wife if, in return, Tindle will break into the highly
secured home and steal a valuable necklace - the idea being Wyke
collects the insurance. So an elaborate charade begins but the
increasingly deadly game leads both men into areas they would
perhaps not wish to go. The wages of sin in this case seem to
be utter humiliation. Things become suspect with the arrival of
a detective as misanthropic as a child molester out of Dickens,
whom no sane person would allow in house let alone offer a drink.
Of course you can expect a couple of nasty surprises from here
on.
Right from the first striking high shot accompanied by gloomy
cello music there is a feeling of unease greatly contributed to
by the extreme camera angles and the nightmarish ultramodern interiors
of the mansion which are lit dramatically. Suspense mounts as
the camera often isolates characters in a mirror or caught in
a TV monitor adding to the jarring effect. Although directed by
Kenneth Branagh (As You Like It) he must have been touched
with the Peter Greenaway stick. There’s so much Greenaway
in exotic settings, chromatic lighting and stylish camerawork
- not to mention the driving music of Patrick Doyle with its ring
of Michael Nyman.
Jude
Law does his best with the theatrical material drawing, possibly
on his experience in Wilde to build his portrayal. Michael
Caine (The Prestige) is totally at home with the lines
and rather steals the show by enjoying himself. He’s decidedly
good at this sort of thing with his own clipped inimitable delivery
and no doubt appreciates the in-joke of playing the Olivier role
in the new film.
Harold Pinter, well-known for his 1960's brooding
films with Joseph Losey like Accident and The Servant
(which this script slightly resembles) brings his unmistakeable
influence on the dialogue. It would have been so easy to end up
simply a filmed stage play, yet this updated Sleuth is
cinema in its own right thanks to the vigorous visual treatment
of cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos.
While not reaching the heights of the 1972 original,
for those that haven’t seen that movie this should prove
an intriguing evening. Certainly theatrical as you’d expect,
but decidedly interesting to watch as the mounting complexity
of the game pays some homage to Agatha Christie. It's not an unqualified
success, yet very much an actor’s film depending on sharp-as-a-tack
dialogue. The compact running time works in its favour.
John Bale
