Sleuth: 1972 version

Two great actors + stage script + killer set = appreciably classic film

If you've been following this blog for a while, you will have noticed that I have a fondness for reading the book a movie is based on. In this instance, I wanted to see "the original" before deciding whether or not to see the remake.

First of all, I adore Michael Caine; I want him to be my great uncle (since he's a tad too old to marry). I very much enjoyed watching him be Milo Tindle, even if the character is supposed to be a "jumped-up pantry boy". (Will they put that great line in the remake? I hope so!) The best part was listening to him drift back into his Cockney accent and lingo during his lines; what fun! He does it in such a way that you are not sure at first whether he means to do so. On the other hand, since I find the actor so likable, it was difficult to find his character as despicable as one is supposed to. With Jude Law, however, I feel that I will not have that problem. His bobble-headed self is going to be a person I love to hate. Will the ending be the same? I was disappointed in the original, but I would probably take great satisfaction in the remake. I also think he is going to sink his teeth into being the older character and shred the scenery. I can't wait to see/hear him verbally eviscerate the pretentious Milo; it's going to be fantastic!

I don't have a lot of appreciation for Sir Olivier, since I have not yet had the time to work my way back to his era of cinema. However, based on this movie as my sole evidence, his character was a little over-blown to me, but I think that the actor was having a fantastic time. I can't wait to see what Michael Caine does with the role; hopefully he will be a little less manic, but I can imagine that the scene of him tearing around the house in search of clues is going to be quite satisfying. Olivier played it with a little too much game-ness for what was happening, and not enough desperation for me to really believe that he was in fear. I think that Caine will be better at adding the terror the character is supposed to feel.

I did like the set, even though I found all of the mechanized trinkets more than a little creepy. Their cacophony in the final moments of the movie was perfect, however, and more than a little hellish. I can't wait to see what they are going to do with the Euro-fashionably-bare decor in the update. I will also be pretty interested in seeing whether Inspector Doppler makes his appearance. He is on the cast list, so he must. Who will be in the new portrait of the wandering wife? I really did like the wink-nudge-nudge of the cast list for the original (IMDB-trivia it after you have seen the movie, so as not to spoil things), which has been carried over.

I am ready to see the remake, but I am a tad skeptical. As I mentioned in my blog on The Dark is Rising, some things are just better set in Britain, and I hope that they don't transplant the story to this side of the Pond. Also, will they update Milo's job? There is very little more despicable to a blue-blood Englishman than a hairdresser putting on airs. Is there a more modern equivalent that they will trot out, or will that remain the same? We shall see.