
Sleuth
4
(78)
Thriller
Mystery
Crime
Comedy
1972
138 min
PG
A man who loves games and theater invites his wife's lover to meet him, setting up a battle of wits with potentially deadly results.
Starring:
Thriller
Crime
Comedy
Mystery
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"Sleuth is a must see, twisty (and occasionally twisted) battle between two generations of British acting legends. Set entirely in a country estate, the film centers around a meeting between a successful, eccentric mystery writer (Olivier) and a younger middle class man (Caine) with whom his wife has been having an affair. The meeting quickly devolves into a battle of wits, wills & egos, with each man trying to gain the upper hand on the other. The crackling screenplay really lets them go at each other and their different acting styles really help underline the class and generational struggle between the two characters. This film is one of few films to garner best leading actor Oscar noms for both of its stars.
There was also a remake in the mid-2000s with Jude Law and Caine (playing the Olivier part) but the original is the far superior film. There are some rights issues with the 1972 version, in America, that have made it hard to see, but it is well worth going out of your way to track it down.
5 out of 5 stars"
R
Ryan