Thursday, August 21, 2008

SLEUTH

SLEUTH CUNNING MYSTERY
What a fantastic film!!! I'd put off watching it because I knew it would basically be Jude Law and Michael Caine acting together for an hour and a half and I wasn't sure I was up for that. I wish I hadn't waited. This is a remake of the 1972 version and lots of critics have their knickers in a twist about that. Fine, whatever, but don't miss the tree for the forest. (Caine played Milo in the prior version.) Without prior knowledge, I watched this film unfold before me showing two of the most outstanding performances I have seen. This may have well been Law's best work. He is on fire in this movie and you can feel every drop of sweat from his pretty little head. From the start, this was a game of cat and mouse. The difference was that they kept changing from cat to mouse and so on. It takes place in Andrew's estate (Caine) as Milo (Law- is it hot in here or is it just me?) is there to persuade Andrew to agree to divorcing his wife, who Milo is now intimate with. But it goes so much further than that. It is a duel between charm and intellect; young versus old. Things are not what they appear to be and by things, I mean every thing. Caine and Law play off each other like dancing a tango. It is a constant power struggle and even when it seems that one has the advantage, they really don't. Listen carefully as Milo asks "What's it all about?" which is the tag from Alfie, a movie that Caine starred in and Law tried to star in its remake. These are two remarkable actors and with clever dialogue, it makes for one edge-of-your-seat journey.
BIG PICK: One of the best films I have seen. Top notch and intense acting. Kudos.