Sleuth
1972, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, released by Anchor Bay

Movie
We have a cat and mouse game here - but you try and figure out who is the cat and who is the mouse, as the roles change from scene to scene. A layered, twisting story, adapted from the play of the same name, written by Anthony Shaffer (who also penned Frenzy and The Wicker Man).

Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz (All About Eve, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Cleopatra), and with a cast that includes Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine - this is a brilliant film.

The story: Andrew Wyke, a well-to-do mystery writer, invites hairdresser Milo Tindle to his countryside mansion. Sounds quaint and pleasant - but what these two men have to discuss is the affair that Wyke's wife is having with Milo. And beyond just having an affair with Milo, Marguerite Wyke wants to divorce Andrew and marry Milo. But the feelings of Andrew Wyke (played by Laurence Olivier), are surprisingly good-natured. And he proposes a scheme that will benefit both he and Milo (Michael Caine).

What follows is constant manipulation, deceit, lies, and trickery, as Andrew's scheme is perpetrated. The resolution of this "scheme" takes place about midway through the film (end of Act One in the theater) - but as the second half of the film begins, the plot becomes even more twisted. And a third character is introduced, Inspector Doppler, convincingly portrayed by Alec Cawthorne.

That is about all that should be said about the plot, without giving away any crucial details.

Video
1.85:1 anamorphic transfer. Some minor defects and some grainy scenes, but a colorful, crisp restoration. Just look at the video quality of the trailer and TV spot, compared to the anamorphic transfer - this movie has likely never looked better in many years.

Audio
English and French Dolby Digital mono tracks. Nothing to complain about here. Subtitles would have been a nice complement, just to clear up some words that are hard to discern - not because of poor audio, though, but simply due to accents and non-American phrases.

Trash Factor
No real trash factor here - but a movie that every film aficionado needs to see. I think this film is under-appreciated in this day and age - so it is worthy of a review, even if it isn't filled to the brim with sleaze.

Modest violence in the film. But if you are a fan of the female form, you do have Marguerite Wyke in the role of Eve Channing - but there is no cleavage, poke-through, or nipple slips to speak of.

Extras
Besides a theatrical trailer and a TV commercial, there is a nice treat: a 23-minute featurette / interview with Anthony Shaffer, titled "A Sleuthian Journey." This feature was made specifically for this Anchor Bay DVD re-release (see notes on the re-release below). There are lots of interesting comments on the original play, Agatha Christie, and the casting of the film.

Packaging
The cover artwork is a slight alteration to an original theatrical poster. An original poster reproduction is included on the chapter stop insert card. This new artwork makes this DVD re-release stand out from Anchor Bay's original DVD effort (see notes on the re-release below).

Overall
The Sleuth DVD I am reviewing was released in February of 2002, and replaces an older DVD released by Anchor Bay. The newer DVD is the one to get - it features a new transfer, and has the featurette. I don't know much about the older release, but it was supposedly a flipper - no such inconvenience with the new release. The new DVD features the dark blue / black cover, pictured above - the old Anchor Bay release features a predominantly white poster reproduction as the cover image.

This film really earned the Best Actor Oscar nominations it received, for the pair of Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine. But these actors went up against Marlon Brando in The Godfather, and he took the award (well, he won it, but refused it).

Bottomline, this is a highly recommended DVD. If you are a mystery fan, like Alfred Hitchcock, Agatha Christie and the like, I think you will love this film. Also, being as it is adapted from a play, the movie is very streamlined in its cast and setting But it is filled with such wonderful performances, and the sets are so interesting, so the film is never boring. Go buy this one, you should be able to find it for less than $15 - and it is worthy of repeated viewings.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD