In which I talk about the movie Sleuth
Okay, so, the original 1972 version of Sleuth is one of my favorite movies. With a young Michael Caine and and an older Laurence Olivier.
A bit of a non-spoilery summary I found at imbd:
"Milo Tindle (Caine) and Andrew Wyke (Olivier) have something in common, Andrew's wife. In an attempt to find a way out of this without costing Andrew a fortune in alimony, he suggests Milo pretend to rob his house and let him claim the insurance on the stolen jewelry. The problem is that they don't really like each other and each cannot avoid the zinger on the other. The plot has many shifts in which the advantage shifts between Milo and Andrew."
So, the reason that this movie is so awesome is that Wyke's house reflects who he is and helps the plot along amazingly well. Throughout the house, (more of a castle, actually, representing how stuck he is in the "old ways") he has all of these toys and games....some things that go off when a button is pressed or somesuch. Even the first scene, set in a shrub maze, sets up the viewer for the twisted game that's to come. The house itself becomes a reflection of Wyke's messed up personality.
The tension gradually builds between Tindle and Wyke as they begin to make a game of murder. Both Oliver and Caine act amazingly throughout.
And plus, one of the lines from the movie was referenced in a Smiths song:
Seriously, how much more awesome can you get?
So, I was very excited when I heard that there was a remake of the movie coming out with Michael Caine switching roles to play Wyke and Jude Law playing Tindle. I thought, this will be awesome. Recently I found the remake on the video store shelf and rented it right away.
I was disappointed. First off, the house was recreated in a super-modern flair, and in the script was designed by Wyke's wife...which does nothing to represent that Wyke is the one with the flair for the odd. And then there was a whole part about Tindle outright seducing Wyke as one of the "games", which, besides giving me some very nice fantasies involving Jude Law and Michael Caine, did absolutely nothing for the story. I'm afraid even the direction by Kenneth Branagh couldn't save this version of the script.
A bit of a non-spoilery summary I found at imbd:
"Milo Tindle (Caine) and Andrew Wyke (Olivier) have something in common, Andrew's wife. In an attempt to find a way out of this without costing Andrew a fortune in alimony, he suggests Milo pretend to rob his house and let him claim the insurance on the stolen jewelry. The problem is that they don't really like each other and each cannot avoid the zinger on the other. The plot has many shifts in which the advantage shifts between Milo and Andrew."
So, the reason that this movie is so awesome is that Wyke's house reflects who he is and helps the plot along amazingly well. Throughout the house, (more of a castle, actually, representing how stuck he is in the "old ways") he has all of these toys and games....some things that go off when a button is pressed or somesuch. Even the first scene, set in a shrub maze, sets up the viewer for the twisted game that's to come. The house itself becomes a reflection of Wyke's messed up personality.
The tension gradually builds between Tindle and Wyke as they begin to make a game of murder. Both Oliver and Caine act amazingly throughout.
And plus, one of the lines from the movie was referenced in a Smiths song:
Click to viewSeriously, how much more awesome can you get?
So, I was very excited when I heard that there was a remake of the movie coming out with Michael Caine switching roles to play Wyke and Jude Law playing Tindle. I thought, this will be awesome. Recently I found the remake on the video store shelf and rented it right away.
I was disappointed. First off, the house was recreated in a super-modern flair, and in the script was designed by Wyke's wife...which does nothing to represent that Wyke is the one with the flair for the odd. And then there was a whole part about Tindle outright seducing Wyke as one of the "games", which, besides giving me some very nice fantasies involving Jude Law and Michael Caine, did absolutely nothing for the story. I'm afraid even the direction by Kenneth Branagh couldn't save this version of the script.