|
RATING: 2/5
Cast: Michael Caine, Jude Law
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Genre: Thriller
MPAA: Rated R for strong language.
Parental Guide:
Nudity: None
Profanity: R equivalent; approx. 20 “F” words, approx. 50 profanities
Sex: PG-13 equivalent; sexual dialogue, sexual gesture
Violence: PG equivalent; mild
Other: None
Protect Your PC
from Viruses with the McAfee VirusScan! Crime novelist Andrew Wyke (Michael Caine) is visited by hairdresser Milo Tindle (Jude Law), the man who is sleeping with his adulterous wife. Tindle wants Wyke to divorce his wife so they can live happily ever after. {snippet link1} does not exists!
Wyke makes a proposition: he wants to be rid of his troublesome wife, who apparently only fancies him for his wealth. To avoid heavy alimony, Wyke suggests that Milo breaks into his home, steals his wife's expensive jewelry and sells--this would guarantee them financial security. A tempting, seductive offer for financially unstable Milo.
Milo accepts the proposal, unaware he just began a series of games--the most devious, witty mind will win in the end, right?
In 1990 the Academy Awards acknowledged Kenneth Branagh, one of the greatest Shakespeare interpreters, with a Oscar nomination in direction and in acting for his adaption of William Shakespeare's Henry V. It was in Henry V that Branagh showcased a resemblance to another great Shakespeare interpreter: Laurence Olivier (the previous Andrew Wyke in the 1972 outing). Branagh's directional resume includes Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare adaption), Hamlet (again Shakespeare), Love's Labour's Lost (you guessed it), and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. ZIRH - #1 in men's skin care and shaving
While Sleuth might not be a Shakespeare inspired outing, it speaks as such--it's evident this is a Kenneth Branagh product. Very few performers can stroll into such dialogue and do it eloquently; Academy Award winner Michael Caine (Hannah and Her Sisters, The Cider House Rules) succeeds...Academy Award nominee Jude Law (Cold Mountain, The Talented Mr. Ripley) struggles. Jude Law, like Caine, delivers a devious character, mischievous, cold, snobbish. Neither characters are very likable (not to say they aren't mysterious and intriguing; we just don't like them). However, unlike Caine, Jude Law comes off overly flamboyant, bursting with dramatic intensity that seems unnatural, surfacing potential over-acting accusations.
You could easily excuse this film of being overly theatrical (you could say a Kenneth Branagh trademark). Keep in mind the film is composed of two characters, only two. It has one setting: a grand, impressive, stylish modern home. And it features cat and mouse dialogue: biting dialogue, purposed to insult or manipulate and outwit. There are even moments when we the audience must discern who's acting, who's not...it's just as much a game for them as it is a game for us. Some fancy camera work, two effective actors, dueling dialogue, homosexual undertones, intrigue, and despite only two characters in one setting Sleuth still manages to entertain.
Sleuth is a remake of a 1972 outing from director Joseph L. Manciewicz (same title), featuring Michael Caine (in a Oscar nominated performance) as Milo Tindle, the hairdresser and Laurence Olivier as Andrew Wyke, the crime novelist. This time around Michael Caine portrays the crime novelist and Jude Law the youthful hairdresser.
Recommended Articles:
|
