{"id":27326,"date":"2012-09-20T14:11:44","date_gmt":"2012-09-20T21:11:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=27326"},"modified":"2020-12-29T09:47:24","modified_gmt":"2020-12-29T16:47:24","slug":"sleuth-1972","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=27326","title":{"rendered":"Sleuth (1972)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;There&#8217;s nothing like a little bit of mayhem to cheer one up.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Sleuth-Poster1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Sleuth-Poster1-197x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"197\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-27330\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Sleuth-Poster1-197x300.jpg 197w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Sleuth-Poster1-84x128.jpg 84w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Sleuth-Poster1.jpg 496w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nAn aristocratic mystery writer (Laurence Olivier) invites his wife&#8217;s lower-class lover (Michael Caine) to his house, proposing an elaborate game of calculated heist that quickly turns into a much more serious cat-and-mouse affair.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cat-and-Mouse<\/li>\n<li>Class Relations<\/li>\n<li>Infidelity<\/li>\n<li>Joseph L. Mankiewicz Films<\/li>\n<li>Laurence Olivier Films<\/li>\n<li>Michael Caine Films<\/li>\n<li>Play Adaptation<\/li>\n<li>Writers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nJoseph Mankiewicz&#8217;s final film as a director was this adaptation of Anthony Shaffer&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sleuth_%28play%29\">hit Broadway play<\/a>, about a successful mystery novel writer who revels in the opportunity to utilize the &#8220;tools of his trade&#8221; as he engages in an increasingly taut game of cat-and-mouse with his wife&#8217;s lover. The storyline is full of so many spoilers that, as most reviewers have noted, it&#8217;s best not to read too much about the film ahead of time if you want to remain surprised throughout. With that said, I&#8217;ll keep this review rather short, simply noting that both Caine and Olivier&#8217;s performances are spot-on throughout, and that Mankiewicz&#8217;s direction of a decidedly house-bound play is consistently innovative and fresh, with excellent use made of various props around the house. Enjoy!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> Not surprisingly, it seems that Shaffer was <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sleuth_%28play%29\">&#8220;partially inspired&#8221;<\/a> by his game-loving friend, Stephen Sondheim, who co-wrote (with Anthony Perkins) the similarly plot-twisty thriller <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=26824\"><em>The Last of Sheila <\/em>(1973)<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Laurence Olivier as Andrew Wyke<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Sleuth-Olivier.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Sleuth-Olivier.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"544\" height=\"288\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-27332\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Sleuth-Olivier.png 544w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Sleuth-Olivier-128x67.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Sleuth-Olivier-300x158.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 544px) 100vw, 544px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Michael Caine as Milo Tindle<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Sleuth-Caine.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Sleuth-Caine.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"544\" height=\"288\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-27331\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Sleuth-Caine.png 544w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Sleuth-Caine-128x67.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Sleuth-Caine-300x158.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 544px) 100vw, 544px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fine direction by Mankiewicz<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Sleuth-Direction.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Sleuth-Direction.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"544\" height=\"288\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-60320\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Sleuth-Direction.png 544w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Sleuth-Direction-300x159.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Sleuth-Direction-128x68.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Sleuth-Direction-510x270.png 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 544px) 100vw, 544px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a most enjoyable thriller. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Good Show<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0069281\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.reelviews.net\/php_review_template.php?identifier=705\">Reel Views Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/90492\/sleuth#articles-reviews?articleId=152706\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/film\/reviews\/74812\/sleuth.html\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s nothing like a little bit of mayhem to cheer one up.&#8221; Synopsis: An aristocratic mystery writer (Laurence Olivier) invites his wife&#8217;s lower-class lover (Michael Caine) to his house, proposing an elaborate game of calculated heist that quickly turns into a much more serious cat-and-mouse affair. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Cat-and-Mouse Class Relations Infidelity Joseph L. Mankiewicz Films Laurence Olivier Films Michael Caine Films Play Adaptation Writers Review: Joseph Mankiewicz&#8217;s final film as a director was this adaptation of&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=27326\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27326"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27326\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60321,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27326\/revisions\/60321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}