Sleuth

Sleuth

10/12/1972 2h 18m 7.7/10

Overview

A man who loves games and theatre invites his wife's lover to meet, setting up a battle of wits with potentially deadly results.

Director

Elaine Schreyeck

Top Billed Cast

Michael Caine

Michael Caine

Milo Tindle

Laurence Olivier

Laurence Olivier

Andrew Wyke

Reviews

CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

6/23/2025

7/10

“Milo” (Michael Caine) arrives at the stately pile of a renowned crime writer - a sort of male Agatha Christie, and has to navigate a complex maze to track down his voice. The dapper “Andrew” (Sir Laurence Olivier) welcomes his guest effusively and takes him into his home. It’s an Aladdin’s cave of theatrical props and costumes which leaves “Milo” a little unnerved. Not as unnerved as he’s going to get, though, when “Andrew” declares his knowledge of the affair his wife is having with him and that he’s relatively relaxed about her leaving so long as he can get the insurance on £175,000 worth of baubles. If only “Milo” can think of a way to purloin them so the police don’t suspect an inside job? Well, it’s not as if there aren’t loads of disguises available and soon the germ of a cunning plan emerges. Unfortunately for the hapless “Milo” this plan has hidden consequences which soon have him very much on the back foot. Smugly satisfied with his night’s work, “Andrew” settles down to some caviar only to find he has an unexpected visitor who meticulously upsets his plan and starts to turn the tables. Now it’s a battle of wits! Olivier and Caine hold this together really quite entertainingly aided by a really cleverly constructed plot, script, some great mechanical gadgets and a good old dose of psychologically malevolent revenge. It’s possibly the most natural I’ve ever seen Olivier on a big screen, though that might be because he’s possibly not doing so much actual acting until very near the end. Caine, likewise, proves he has more to his portfolio than his more traditional East End Charlie in a sharp suit. I didn’t really love the denouement, but en route it’s a game of two halves where jeopardy is the name of the game for them and us! It’s a classy production with two actors looking like they were having a good time, and I found that contagious .

Similar Movies

Midnight Mystery

4.2

Midnight Mystery

1930

The Cruel Tower

4.7

The Cruel Tower

1956

I Love Trouble

6.3

I Love Trouble

1948

Nothing to Lose

6.6

Nothing to Lose

1997

Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler

6.8

Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler

2009

The Bedroom Window

6.3

The Bedroom Window

1987

The House That Dripped Blood

6.4

The House That Dripped Blood

1971

Wrath of Silence

7.2

Wrath of Silence

2018

Shadow of Fear

6.0

Shadow of Fear

1974

Five Minutes to Live

5.4

Five Minutes to Live

1961