Rating: 
Summary: "Be sure and tell 'em... it was just...a bloody game."
Review: "Sleuth" stars Michael Caine as the young hair-dresser "Milo Tindle" and Laurence Olivier as an upper-crust mystery writer "Andrew Wyke".Michael Caine is having an affair with the wife of Andrew Wyke. Wyke invites Milo to his country manor to discuss a plan whereby Milo would "rob" Wyke of some expensive jewels, sell them to a pre-arranged fence in Amsterdam, and get enough money to afford Wyke's wife, thus freeing up Wyke to live with his own mistress (and get the insurance money for the stolen jewels.) Wyke outlines the complexities of the plan, which involve Milo dressing in different clothes, breaking into the house, blowing up a safe, etc, to make it appear to be a legitimate robbery. There are many appealing aspects to the movie. First is the character of Andrew Wyke, a famous writer of a series of detective-fiction wherein the main character, Lord Merridew, always outwits the rather bumbling police force to solve the crime. Second is Wyke's hobbies, which run the gamut from an ancient chess-like board game, a jigsaw puzzle that is only a white rectangle, and various assorted collectibles such as a full-sized animated sailor dummy. Wyke's gameplaying attitude is extended to the plan of the fake robbery. The third compelling aspect of the movie is the witty, sparring dialogue between Wyke and Tindle. Although at first, the two characters try to maintain a slightly forced friendly rivaly, but as the robbery unfolds, it becomes clear that Wyke in fact resents Milo and his wife's affair, and is actually setting up Milo to be killed as a burglar. In a series of plot twists I won't reveal, Wyke humiliates Tindle and sends him away. However, Tindle gets the last laugh, literally, in the end. A long-time favorite movie of mine, it earned best actor nominations for both Olivier and Caine, and a nomination for director Mankiewicz. The DVD has a 23 minute "interview" by playwright Anthony Shaffer, chapters and a trailer.
Rating:
Summary: "Be sure and tell 'em... it was just...a bloody game."
Review: "Sleuth" stars Michael Caine as the young hair-dresser "Milo Tindle" and Laurence Olivier as an upper-crust mystery writer "Andrew Wyke". Michael Caine is having an affair with the wife of Andrew Wyke. Wyke invites Milo to his country manor to discuss a plan whereby Milo would "rob" Wyke of some expensive jewels, sell them to a pre-arranged fence in Amsterdam, and get enough money to afford Wyke's wife, thus freeing up Wyke to live with his own mistress (and get the insurance money for the stolen jewels.) Wyke outlines the complexities of the plan, which involve Milo dressing in different clothes, breaking into the house, blowing up a safe, etc, to make it appear to be a legitimate robbery. There are many appealing aspects to the movie. First is the character of Andrew Wyke, a famous writer of a series of detective-fiction wherein the main character, Lord Merridew, always outwits the rather bumbling police force to solve the crime. Second is Wyke's hobbies, which run the gamut from an ancient chess-like board game, a jigsaw puzzle that is only a white rectangle, and various assorted collectibles such as a full-sized animated sailor dummy. Wyke's gameplaying attitude is extended to the plan of the fake robbery. The third compelling aspect of the movie is the witty, sparring dialogue between Wyke and Tindle. Although at first, the two characters try to maintain a slightly forced friendly rivaly, but as the robbery unfolds, it becomes clear that Wyke in fact resents Milo and his wife's affair, and is actually setting up Milo to be killed as a burglar. In a series of plot twists I won't reveal, Wyke humiliates Tindle and sends him away. However, Tindle gets the last laugh, literally, in the end. A long-time favorite movie of mine, it earned best actor nominations for both Olivier and Caine, and a nomination for director Mankiewicz. The DVD has a 23 minute "interview" by playwright Anthony Shaffer, chapters and a trailer.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun & Games With Two Fine Actors
Review: 1972's Sleuth is literally a two-man show, with Olivier and Caine matching each other scene for scene in this lengthy 2-hour, 18-minute story revolving around some rather unusual parlor games. It's a pleasure to watch these two actors at work (or is it "play"?). I've never enjoyed Mr. Caine more. It's quite unusual to see a movie with the entire cast comprising just two people! And each of them does a bloody good job of holding our interest till the end. I would certainly recommend this top-notch tongue-in-cheek murder mystery.
Rating:
Summary: LABYRINTH MAN
Review: Adapted for the screen by Anthony Schaffer, the author of the play, and directed by one of the legends of Hollywood, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, SLEUTH is the perfect movie for you if you like excellent actors, Laurence Olivier and Michaël Caine for instance, a subtle plot with unexpected twists and a superior cinematography. I was amazed by the admirable production design of the movie. Laurence Olivier's mansion is a dream come true, every objects appearing on the screen seem to have a priceless value and the rooms, including the cellar, are little museums. Joseph L. Mankiewicz had to nail the audience in some way because SLEUTH is not a play with a lot of characters and could have discouraged the viewer if the director hadn't been such a talent. Another (innocent) trick of Mankiewicz is to film the puppets or the masks as if they were alive, you always have the feeling that the characters are not alone in the mansion. One can regret that the Anchor Bay DVD presents only a scene access and no english subtitles. The image quality was, in my opinion, rather good, without black or white spots. Sound, on the contrary, could have been better. A DVD for the smart ones.
Rating:
Summary: Clarification
Review: As an earlier reviewers has pointed out, Anchor Bay has released TWO different prints of Sleuth, so you'll want to be careful which release you purchase. The older release had an unsatisfactory transfer that looked very bad. That version was a flipper disc and was packaged with a WHITE cover, and Anchor Bay has wisely let it go out of print. Avoid it! (Unless you collect OOP DVDs....)
The newer release has a BLACK cover and boasts a much improved transfer. (Just compare the vibrancy of the colors in the film to the muted colors in the unrestored trailers to see what I mean.) In addition to putting the whole film on one side of the disc, Anchor Bay also included an extensive and fairly interesting interview with writer Anthony Shaffer. This version is probably definitive -- and certainly the one to buy.
Apparently, however, Anchor Bay is going to let this release go out of print, too. (It has disappeared from their online catalogue.) So buy this quickly if you have any interest in it at all. I can't imagine any other company giving this film a better overall treatment.
Rating:
Summary: New and Improved DVD!
Review: For those of you who have been disappointed by the version of Sleuth in the white box, take heart and trade up to the black one. The film is widescreen, entirely presented on one side, and the sound is excellent. In addition, the DVD includes an interview with playwright Andrew Shaffer about the conception, original staging and film adaptation of "Sleuth." If you haven't already seen this most brilliant of screen thrillers, please kill yourself now.
Rating:
Summary: New and Improved DVD!
Review: For those of you who have been disappointed by the version of Sleuth in the white box, take heart and trade up to the black one. The film is widescreen, entirely presented on one side, and the sound is excellent. In addition, the DVD includes an interview with playwright Andrew Shaffer about the conception, original staging and film adaptation of "Sleuth." If you haven't already seen this most brilliant of screen thrillers, please kill yourself now.
Rating:
Summary: Mystery galore!
Review: How can a film be this good? You are in thrall for the entire running time, pulled right into the house with them. Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier are on target and the supporting cast is stellar, as well.
Rating:
Summary: Not about content but presentation
Review: I am writing this review having not seen this film but having just bought it. I wanted to warn anybody potential buyers that this version of Sleuth is flawed. It claims to be a Widescreen presentation, but the credits clearly run off the side of the screen. Also, the label of the film looks like really questionable as if someone printed out labels on their computer and slapped them on the tape. There is not even a running time on the actual tape. Although people who do not like Widescreen probably will not mind, those that do like widescreen will be rather annoyed by this false advertising. The image is a little wider than the standard format, but not wide enough. And it is so blatant. At least make it less obvious! But oh well. I hope the film is good.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful duel
Review: I recomend everybody to purchase this film. I'm admirer of these both great english actors. The movie is full of surprises that take place in a aristocratic english cottage. An amazing garden full of statues is were the movie begin. Inside the cottage there is a world of fantasy with puppets moving everywhere, that seem watch impassive the duel between the two only characters of the film. I do not miss any other actor in the movie, they both are enough. Only great actors as them can get it.
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