Sleuth Vs. Sleuth
Sleuth (1972): starring Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine, this is a well-acted and fascinating movie. I watched it several years ago and loved it. I wish it were available from Netflix so I could watch it again. It was one of the first movies I watched that highlighted to me how good an actor Michael Caine is. I can't say much else about it for fear of giving away elements of the plot--and this is a movie that you should really see fresh.
Sleuth (2007): starring Michael Caine and Jude Law (with Michael Caine in the role originally taken by Laurence Olivier and Jude Law in the role originally taken by Michael Caine) and directed by Kenneth Branagh, it sounds like a good idea. I watched this movie on Netflix last night out of sheer curiousity. That was a mistake.
Despite Michael Caine's continuing solid force as an actor, this movie sucks. The charm of the original is missing. The interplay between the two actors lacks the charge that the Olivier/Caine combination had. The cinematography is frequently interesting (lots of use of reflections, interesting angles, and closeups), but this is more a distraction than an enhancement. And the homoeroticism? It just doesn't fit. It's hard to tell whether it should be taken seriously or not, which is a major problem for the film as a whole, for the actors, and for the audience.
I highly recommend the original Sleuth. Don't be fooled into thinking that watching the remake (even though it also stars Michael Caine) is any substitute.
Sleuth (2007): starring Michael Caine and Jude Law (with Michael Caine in the role originally taken by Laurence Olivier and Jude Law in the role originally taken by Michael Caine) and directed by Kenneth Branagh, it sounds like a good idea. I watched this movie on Netflix last night out of sheer curiousity. That was a mistake.
Despite Michael Caine's continuing solid force as an actor, this movie sucks. The charm of the original is missing. The interplay between the two actors lacks the charge that the Olivier/Caine combination had. The cinematography is frequently interesting (lots of use of reflections, interesting angles, and closeups), but this is more a distraction than an enhancement. And the homoeroticism? It just doesn't fit. It's hard to tell whether it should be taken seriously or not, which is a major problem for the film as a whole, for the actors, and for the audience.
I highly recommend the original Sleuth. Don't be fooled into thinking that watching the remake (even though it also stars Michael Caine) is any substitute.