Rent Sleuth (1972)

Why have I missed this superb film until now? - Sleuth review by RP

Why have I missed this superb film until now? Made in 1972 and starring Lawrence Olivier and Michael Caine, I enjoyed this immensely. It has the feel of a stage play (it was adapted from one) but it works very well as a film. The acting is superb: you would expect no less of Lawrence Olivier, but Michael Caine is surprisingly good. Although I have seen most of his films, he displayed real acting ability which surprised me: he usually just plays Michael Caine :). And the location setting in a country house filled with automata and games is superb.

The storyline goes like this: Caine plays an Alfie-like character who is having an affair with Olivier's wife. He is invited to meet the cuckolded husband, an author of detective novels, who offers a money-making proposition: steal his wife's jewellery while he claims on the insurance. This is planned as a humiliation - but there is a twist in the tail...

The dialogue is sharp and witty, the characters show a degree of class rivalry and racism which is well observed and perceptive, and not out of place today. Yes, the characters themselves (and the hairstyles!) are somewhat dated, but the drama itself is timeless.

Both actors and the director (Joseph L. Mankiewicz) received Oscar nominations, but unfortunately lost out to 'The Godfather' which was released the same year. All I can say is that Marlon Brando's acting isn't a patch on what you'll see here.

5/5 stars. An excellent film – highly recommended.

Probably the best film I have ever seen - Sleuth review by Philip in Paradiso

The review by RP gives you a good overview of the film. The plot is cunningly and craftily put together. The acting is simply superb. Both M Caine and L Olivier are unforgettable in this sadistic and complex game of humiliation and counter-humiliation, against the background of class differences.

If you have not seen this film, you must. Probably the best movie I have ever seen.

Mystery Thriller. - Sleuth review by Steve

Energetic and very clever update of the old fashioned country house mystery which is adapted with a light touch by Anthony Shaffer from his own stage success. But this isn't really Agatha Christie revised for the seventies. Beyond its scintillating and playful wit, this has plenty to say about contemporary Britain, particularly the class system.

Laurence Olivier plays a middle aged writer of detective stories about the kind of amateur sleuth who was typical in the golden age of crime fiction in the 1930s. Michael Caine is the much younger lover of his trophy wife; a second generation immigrant with a developing chain of salons. So the famous author devises an incredible screwball revenge.

And the parvenu hairdresser fights back in similar fashion, until their escalating hostilities end in tragedy. This evolving war of ego and oneupmanship expressed through role play is the main attraction. The stars are excellent in demanding roles and Joseph Mankiewicz's camera captures the spirit of the theatrical production with verve and insight.

The play/film also operates as a reflection on how the establishment protects itself from outside threat. And there is an impression that the new arrival is learning how to belong. This is exceptional in almost every way. The only negative is the awful period fashions. Caine went from wearing the coolest suits in film history, to Man at C&A in barely six years.