Lucas Versantvoort / January 29, 2015
People who
think games of cat-and-mouse were popularized by modern series like Death Note
need to take a good hard look at films like Sleuth. Directed by Joseph L.
Mankiewicz (All About Eve) and written by Anthony Schaffer (Frenzy, The Wicker
Man), this film is classic game of cat and mouse jam-packed with memorable
scenes and dialogue.
The game/film starts with hairdresser
Milo Tindle (Michael Caine) visiting mystery writer Andrew Wyke (Laurence
Olivier) at his large country house. Milo is dating Andrew’s wife Marguerite,
you see, so already we’ve got a conflict of interest. Andrew, however, has no
qualms about divorcing her, but doesn’t want to drown in alimony in the
process. Marguerite has expensive tastes, you see. After getting to know (and
dislike) each other a bit, Andrew proposes a plan: Milo will rob some valuable
jewels in his house which he can then pawn off in Amsterdam while Andrew
collects the insurance money. All goes well, until… Honestly, I could describe
what happens then, but that plot twist occurs around the one hour mark, so that
would ruin a bit too much of the fun.
Being a game of cat and mouse, the
film has lots of fun with familiar tropes in this genre. I always sensibly
chuckle whenever collecting insurance money is a major plot element. The fact
that Andrew is himself a mystery writer only makes it better. The film’s ending
is also a wonderfully literal visualization of that good old mystery trope, the
last laugh. Thankfully, however, the self-awareness doesn’t ruin the suspense. Quite
the opposite. There’s a lot of tension hidden under the veritable mountain of
witty lines.
I will say that I didn’t love Sleuth after first seeing it many years ago. It’s mostly to do
with something involving a disguise. At the time, I immediately identified him
for who he really was so the eventual reveal was disappointing. I always
assumed it was supposed to be this big twist for the audience, but since it
failed miserably, I felt disappointed with the film. Having watched it again
recently, I figure the joke is supposed to be on the other character and not
the audience. The audience, rather than being surprised, can anticipate the
other guy’s reaction when he discovers he’s been deceived. At least, I hope
that’s the case.
Now, the acting. It’s easily half
the film. The film is roughly 2 hours and 15 minutes long and it all mostly
takes place in Andrew’s house, but it never gets boring and it’s precisely due
to the acting and the witty screenplay. The entire film is predicated upon Milo
and Andrew verbally sparring and it doesn’t disappoint. Both Caine and Olivier
don’t miss a single beat and the script’s supply of morbidly delightful lines
is virtually limitless. Mankiewicz’s direction also helps. He makes up for the
lack of variety in locales by occasionally cutting to quick shots of the
house’s bizarre decorations, which include an array of dolls, to reinforce the
sense of dread underlying the proceedings.
As to why the film is still
impressive, I assume it’s to do with a combination of witty dialogue, acting
and…its brand of cruelty. It’s not so much in what they force each other to do, but what they force each other to feel. It’s why Sleuth is such a funny,
but also cruel film even by today’s standards. Today, cruelty is primarily
exemplified by physical pain as seen in the Saw films, etc. Sleuth
is the exact opposite. It’s about humiliation and inflicting as much psychological pain on each other.
But make no mistake, Sleuth is also
very funny. You have to ignore your expectations of typical dramas and go into
Sleuth expecting a game, albeit a morbid one. The film is at its core quite
ridiculous, but that’s part of the deal…and the fun.
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