Sleuth (Widescreen)

Michael Caine is having an affair with the wife of Andrew Wyke. Wyke invites Milo to his country manor to discuss a plan whereby Milo would "rob" Wyke of some expensive jewels, sell them to a pre-arranged fence in Amsterdam, and get enough money to afford Wyke's wife, thus freeing up Wyke to live with his own mistress (and get the insurance money for the stolen jewels.)

Wyke outlines the complexities of the plan, which involve Milo dressing in different clothes, breaking into the house, blowing up a safe, etc, to make it appear to be a legitimate robbery.

There are many appealing aspects to the movie. First is the character of Andrew Wyke, a famous writer of a series of detective-fiction wherein the main character, Lord Merridew, always outwits the rather bumbling police force to solve the crime. Second is Wyke's hobbies, which run the gamut from an ancient chess-like board game, a jigsaw puzzle that is only a white rectangle, and various assorted collectibles such as a full-sized animated sailor dummy. Wyke's gameplaying attitude is extended to the plan of the fake robbery. The third compelling aspect of the movie is the witty, sparring dialogue between Wyke and Tindle.

Although at first, the two characters try to maintain a slightly forced friendly rivaly, but as the robbery unfolds, it becomes clear that Wyke in fact resents Milo and his wife's affair, and is actually setting up Milo to be killed as a burglar. In a series of plot twists I won't reveal, Wyke humiliates Tindle and sends him away. However, Tindle gets the last laugh, literally, in the end.

A long-time favorite movie of mine, it earned best actor nominations for both Olivier and Caine, and a nomination for director Mankiewicz. The DVD has a 23 minute "interview" by playwright Anthony Shaffer, chapters and a trailer.

The tag line "Think of the perfect crime...then go one step further" describes exactly what the movie is all about. Olivier plays Andrew Wyke, an eccentric and revered mystery writer invites Milo Tindle (Caine) over to his mansion over a weekend in order to discuss the terms of his affair with his wife. Wyke is known as a lover of toys, games, and deviously cunning games of trickery that he plays on people. Wyke has known for some time that Tindle has been having an affair with his wife, and that he intends to marry her. Wyke sees an opportunity to unload his wife, without the possibility of her coming back and getting deeper into his pocketbook. Knowing him to be broke, Wyke proposes to Tindle a robbery scheme that will solve both of their problems. Things got a bit awry. What happens next would be criminal to give away, but it is one of the most brilliantly crafted farces I have ever seen in a movie.

"Sleuth" was adapted from the stage play by Anthony Shaffer, and it plays out very much like the play itself. There is one setting, two actors, and lots of dialogue. It works very well, because it wasn't overdone in production. I cannot see how this could have worked with a more elaborate setting or cast. What carries the movie are the performances by Caine and Olivier, which ranks among their personal best (and picking ones from such distinguished careers is hard). Their interaction between each other is riveting, since their characters are so cunning. "Sleuth" was made in 1971, and 30 years on, every aspect of the movie has aged well. It is one of those movies that makes time stand still, and you are unaware that 2 hours has gone by at the end of it. That is the token of a great movie.

The Anchor Bay DVD boasts the best transfer and sound quality of "Sleuth" so far, though the previous versions were also very good (including the VHS, which is rare for older movies). The main supplement is the 20 minute featurette "A Sleuthian Journey with Anthony Shaffer", in which the famous playwright is interviewed on his experiences with the play, the making of the movie, and his interactions with the filmmakers. He is jovial and gives plenty of fun anecdotes throughout the interview. Aside from that, there are talent bios and the usual trailers and TV spots. Considering the age and modest budget, not much in the way of extras should be expected.

"Sleuth" is a rare movie that I can watch over and over again, and I am pleased to see that Anchor Bay did justice to the movie with this excellent (and modestly priced) DVD. An easy purchase for any movie fan.