Mystery novelist Andrew Wyke (Michael Caine) and actor/hairdresser Milo Tindle (Jude Law) meet at Wyke’s high-tech country home in order to discuss the matter of Wyke’s wife, with whom both men are sleeping. Tindle wants Wyke to grant his wife a divorce, but Wyke will agree only if Tindle agrees to help him in a robbery/insurance scam, a crime that, if successful, will provide Tindle the financial security he needs in order to provide for the future ex-Mrs. Wyke. The younger man agrees, but Wyke has other plans up his sleeve, and a deadly game of one-upmanship begins.

CRITIQUE

Sleuth began life as a play by Anthony Shaffer (screenwriter of the original version of The Wicker Man and twin brother of Amadeus scribe Peter), which the author later adapted for the 1972 film of the same name. That film, which was the final directorial effort for Joseph L. Mankiewicz, starred Laurence Olivier as Wyke and Michael Caine as Tindle; it’s a classic on every level, with superb performances, meticulous direction, stunning production design by Ken Adam, a witty, literate script.

It’s also more fun than you can imagine, blurring the line between fiction and reality, twisting and turning up to the very last frame. This remake, initiated by Law (who co-produced), written by Harold Pinter, and directed by Kenneth Branagh, isn’t fun, relies of plot turns that will likely surprise no one, and takes itself far too seriously. Films that are the result of this sort of confluence of talent usually go one of two ways; you’ve undoubtedly already guessed which path this one takes.

Pinter has said he was unfamiliar with Shaffer’s original work, having neither seen the play or the first film; he decided to make this script almost totally his own, keeping the basic setup (which still works very well) and leaving the first two acts largely intact, but changing the overall thrust of the material and largely inventing the final act. I can live with the idea of that, but the results are fatal. Pinter makes the last third of his story too literal and matter of fact, which is entirely the wrong approach.

Subsequently, it could have worked had Pinter completely overhauled the plot, but it’s impossible (for me, anyway) to swallow the oddball (or in the case, ludicrous) events of the second act when they’re followed by such a dour, self-serious final act. Shaffer never expected anyone to take his story literally (in both the play and original movie it’s often unclear as to just how much of or to what degree the story is unfolding only in Wyke’s imagination), but Pinter does. That being the case, the big twist in the film’s midsection doesn’t work. It comes across as crushingly asinine, sinking the film the moment it comes into play. (I want to tread lightly here, as I don’t want to spoil anything, but there’s just no way Caine falls for it; he’s not a blind, deaf idiot.)

The third act has problems of its own. I was already dismayed at having seen the film begin a sharp nosedive, so imagine how I felt when Pinter and Branagh began staging a series of silly, self-important shouting matches between Wyke and Tindle, with each man attempting to belittle the other into oblivion. Witty verbal sparring is one thing (especially in the quiet, cutting manner the English do so well), but pretentious speechmaking is a completely different beast.

Furthermore, I also don’t buy the sexual interplay between the men (another unnecessary invention on Pinter’s part); I can see Tindle resorting it to out of desperation, but given exactly why Wyke has initiated his little game, he’d call his opponent’s bluff in a second. And a couple of late-inning twists (if you can actually call them that) are so lame you almost have to wonder if Pinter has seen any movie made in the last two decades, as only someone who is totally unfamiliar with the modern thriller would find them surprising. Maybe he was having an off day, but it’s a little disheartening to see the man who cracked the problem of turning The French Lieutenant’s Woman into a viable screenplay being this bloody conventional.

A few aspects of the movie prevent it from becoming a total disaster. Caine and Law both turn in fantastic performances. (This is Law’s second trip around the block playing one of Caine’s old roles; no word yet on whether or not he’ll be featured in a remake of Jaws the Revenge twenty years from now.) Branagh does a good job keeping the movie from devolving into a photographed stage production, although I admit it took me a while to warm to his visual approach. Patrick Doyle’s stripped-down score is very effective. And production designer Tim Harvey replaces Adam’s sprawling gardens and playful-yet-unsettling props with a state-of-the-art chilliness that perfectly gels with Pinter’s intent. It’s just too bad for everyone else involved that Pinter’s intent ate its own tail.

THE VIDEO

The 2.35:1 transfer is marred by excessive softness. There is a degree of softness inherent in the original photography, but some scenes are noticeably softer than the rest of the film. Stacked vertical objects have a tendency to waver (the blinds in Wyke’s appear to be dancing the jig), grain can be inconsistent, and digital noise plagues several shots.

Colors--dominated by cold blues and grays, although the Vari-lights in Wyke’s home throw out the occasional bright red or green--hold up well, and black levels and shadow detail are strong throughout (especially important here, as much of the film takes place in nighttime exteriors and low-lit interiors).

THE AUDIO

The Dolby Digital TrueHD 5.1 is asked to do little more than channel the near-constant dialogue, a feat it pulls off easily; every word spoken by the characters comes through clearly. The surrounds are primarily called upon to impart the sense of a claustrophobic space, with sounds from the front channels echoing and reverberating around the soundstage, although they also help open up the score. A couple of gunshots aside, low end activity is largely relegated to the score. Spanish and Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks are also included. English, English SDH, French, Spanish, and Portuguese subtitles are available.

THE EXTRAS

The commentary by Kenneth Branagh and Michael Caine provides a decent overview of the story, production, characters, etc. (Caine’s an extremely entertaining speaker and storyteller; someone should force him to record more commentaries.)

The commentary by Jude Law isn’t as interesting, as Law really doesn’t have much to contribute. Once he runs out of things to say regarding the input he provided Pinter, he pretty much runs out of things to say altogether. (Why he wasn’t recorded alongside Caine and Branagh, or at least had his comments spliced together with theirs, is beyond me.)

A Game of Cat and Mouse: Behind the Scenes of Sleuth (15 minutes) is a slightly better-than-average making-of featurette. Branagh, Law, and Caine discuss how they came to be involved with the project, while Pinter talks about his reaction to the material and the changes he made while adapting it.  

Inspector Black: Make-Up Secrets Revealed (3 minutes) looks at the prosthetic/makeup effects employed during the movie’s second act.

FINAL THOUGHT

I’m going to repeat the same comment many people make in reference to so many modern remakes of classic films: Stick with the original.