Sleuth

Author: 
Kelsey Singbeil

Take two; CJSF A&E volunteer, Kelsey Singbeil, viewed the 2007 remake of Sleuth, a 1972 film adaptation by Anthony Schaffer. 

Dialogue. Sleuth has heaps of it. Sharp, witty and riveting.  With just two characters alone on screen, the banter in Kenneth Branagh’s version of the Tony award winning play, Sleuth keeps you glued to the screen.  Michael Caine plays Andrew Wyke, and Jude Law, Milo Tindle, the two men brought together for the love of a woman.  Caine, who played Tindle in the 1972 Sleuth, switches sides in the 2007 edition and plays Wyke, an aging crime novelist.  Wyke’s estranged wife is now with Tindle, and the two meet as Tindle comes to ask for Wyke to agree to a divorce.

The set is sparse and cold, helping to highlight the lively debate between Caine and Law.  Not sure what’s going to happen next, the plot’s twists and turns have the audience on the edge of their seat waiting for Wyke or Tindle to make the next move.

Branagh’s rendition brings a modern edge to Sleuth – which adds to the cutting remarks and attitudes of Wyke and Tindle. Sleuth is a welcoming departure from the light, standard fare of popular cinema.   

  • Posted on: 11 March 2016
  • By: Administrator