STUDIO: Sony
RELEASE DATE: March 11th, 2008
STARRING: Michael Caine and Jude Law
WRITTEN BY: Harold Pinter
DIRECTED BY: Kenneth Branagh
FEATURES: Commentaries with Director Kenneth Branagh, Michael Caine and Jude Law
A Game of Cat and Mouse: Behind the Scenes of Sleuth
Inspector Black: Make-up Secrets Revealed

Caine + Law + Branagh + Pinter... To any cinephile, that sounds like a fail-safe recipe for success, doesn’t it? The studio certainly thought so; those four names are listed, in large, capital letters, down the center of the movie poster for Sleuth. Yet somehow, that fierce foursome of talented men doesn’t quite deliver as one would hope.

In Sleuth, Jude Law plays Milo Tindle, a cocksure young actor, who’s sleeping with the wife of a wealthy novelist, Andrew Wyke, portrayed by Michael Caine. Tindle comes to visit the reclusive Wyke at his impressive mansion, with aims of convincing him to grant his wife the divorce she’s seeking, so as to allow them the pursuit of love in peace. The handsome and charming Tindle is undoubtedly used to having his way with people. So he’s broadsided by Wyke’s refusal to concede straight away. Instead, Wyke (whose seniority seems to grant him his own sense of entitlement) insists on a peculiar favor in return - one with a potentially dangerous outcome. The resultant 86 minute mindgame pits the wits and words of one manipulator against another.

Sleuth is a remake of the 1972 picture of the same name, which was based on Anthony Shaffer's 1970 play. The first film also starred Michael Caine - albeit in the role of the younger man now played by Law (an actor often compared to the young Caine). For this version, it’s playwright and Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter who adapts the screenplay and adds a hefty bit of menace and sexual ambiguity to the proceedings. Many of Pinter’s trademarks are present in the head-to-head dialogue - terse and choppy phrasing, unsettling silences, questions in answer to questions and thinly-veiled threats that hint at mounting dread. This is intriguing at first, as each character carefully attempts to gauge his opponent’s worthiness. But over the course of the story - which is also meant to be a thriller - Pinter's inability to shape any clear directives becomes a bit maddening. Branagh is certainly capable of directorial excellence, but it feels like he's given his actors too much freedom. Both Law and Caine are clearly relishing their roles, savoring the numerous interpretations one might draw from each and every line. But after the initial buzz of watching the two of them play off each other had worn off, I wanted someone - anyone - to step in and start bringing the story into focus.

The DVD release of Sleuth looks terrific. Wyke’s sparse and dimly-lit fortress is the closest thing to a third character in the film; it’s an ultra-modern, remote-controlled affair, complete with unexpected angles, avant-garde sculptures and night vision security cameras throughout. And the cool, blue detachment it provides is fascinating to behold, even on a small screen. But the DVD is fairly light on extras. It does include two short documentaries: a making-of and a piece on the make-up for the mysterious Inspector Black character. But although the make-up was well done, I’m not sure it deserves the sort of treatment usually reserved for summer blockbusters. I would’ve much rather have learned more about the inventive set design. The DVD also contains two tracks of audio commentary: one with Law and another, with both Caine and Branagh. All three gents are obviously experienced and extremely intelligent, so I expected their insights to be entertaining. But instead, I found it rather frustrating listening to these talented folks blindly praising one another’s work on the movie. I think they all could’ve used some constructive criticism along the way and it got me wondering if perhaps their inherent trust for one another’s instincts was the eventual downfall of the film.