Starring: Michael Caine, Jude Law
Director: Kenneth Branagh

I’ve always firmly believed that if a script, or more specifically, the dialogue, is good, the movie can never be *that* bad. A good script can keep the audience’s interest alive, even if all other aspects of the movie fail. Well-placed witticisms and statements that subtly tease the viewer to delve beneath the surface and truly connect with the characters and their frame of mind can inevitably make the difference between a good movie and a bad one.

Sleuth not only delivers on all these fronts, instantly making it a very watch-able movie, but also goes the proverbial distance - with powerhouse acting by Caine and Law, incredible sets, and Branagh’s classy direction, you’d be hard-pressed to find *anything* wrong with the movie.

Loosely based on the Anthony Shaffer play, Sleuth pits the very famous crime-writer Anthony Wyke (Caine) against the young, brash actor, Milo Tindle (Law). Tindle has come to Wyke’s paranoia-induced (I’m pretty sure that’s a fair extrapolation, what with the staggering number of surveillance cameras he seems to have peppered all over his estate) technological fortress to ask for a divorce; Tindle has run off with Wyke’s wife, and they want to get married as soon as possible. Wyke seemingly takes it in his stride, and does Tindle one better - he proposes that Tindle steal his precious jewels and sell them, while Wyke reaps the insurance money. The reason: He wants to make sure that his wife doesn’t come back to him, and so wants to ensure that this out-of-work actor can accommodate her extravagant lifestyle.

The opening scene sets the standard for the rest of the movie - an almost aerial view of the characters’ cars, with Wyke remarking “Mine’s bigger than yours”. What follows is an intense battle of wits in a claustrophobic arena; an intellectual cage-match, if you will, that the actors (and the characters they portray) seem to play with each other with effortless ease. With plot-twists and intense acting, Sleuth borders on the realm of a psychological thriller, forever keeping you on the edge of your seat, straining your ears to listen to every word so as not to miss a single syllable, a single nuance. The haunting score adds to the eerie atmosphere, getting darker as the game gets more serious. Branagh, as with his other movies, shows a mastery rarely seen, but never forgotten. The effortless way he tells the tale through a mixture of close-ups and surveillance photography creates a distance and a sense of scale that matches the actors and the ambiguous characters they’ve created. This is a visual masterpiece, perfectly complemented by a wonderful script.

Note: From other reviews I’ve heard/read, don’t expect to see a remake of the 1972 film. This is not The Omen; Branagh’s direction and Harold Pinter’s screenplay have created a movie that *very* loosely follows the same story. The only common points would probably be Michael Caine (Caine had earlier portrayed Tindle in the 1972 film), the basic outline, and the end.
(Or so I’ve heard. I haven’t seen the ‘72 film myself, so I can’t really compare.)

For further info: Sleuth at IMDb.com