A man who loves games and theater invites his wife's lover to meet him, setting up a battle of wits with potentially deadly results.A man who loves games and theater invites his wife's lover to meet him, setting up a battle of wits with potentially deadly results.A man who loves games and theater invites his wife's lover to meet him, setting up a battle of wits with potentially deadly results.
- Nominated for 4 Oscars
- 5 wins & 11 nominations total
Alec Cawthorne
- Inspector Doppler
- (credit only)
John Matthews
- Detective Sergeant Tarrant
- (credit only)
Eve Channing
- Marguerite Wyke
- (credit only)
Teddy Martin
- Police Constable Higgs
- (credit only)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe reason this film is so difficult to find on streaming is because it fell into the hands of a pharmaceutical company called Bristol-Myers Squibb, who dissolved their entertainment division shortly after creating it, leaving this movie's distribution rights in limbo. It has since never been re-acquired or restored as of early 2022.
- Goofs(at around 1h 2 mins) When Wyke "shoots" Tindle in the head at contact range with what is supposed to be a blank cartridge, Tindle simply faints from fright. In fact, the hot gases, explosive particles, wadding and minuscule barrel debris from a blank-cartridge shot to the head at point-blank range would certainly have given Tindle quite a serious wound, possibly even a fatal one.
- Quotes
[last lines]
Milo Tindle: Andrew... remember... be sure and tell them... it was only a bloody game.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The 51st Annual Academy Awards (1979)
- SoundtracksJust one of these things
Words and music by Cole Porter
Featured review
One of the best thrillers ever.
Sleuth is based on an outstanding stage play by Anthony Shaffer. Sometimes, a work which succeeded on the stage doesn't transfer well to the big screen. Movies like Equus and Dangerous Corner - which were a delight in theatres - lose their power under the close scrutiny of a film camera. Sleuth is not a failure. It retains its stagebound plot, characters and dialogue, but somehow manages to be totally engrossing as well.
Part of the joy is due to Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine. The two giants of Britsh acting don't chew the scenery in an attempt to out-shine each other; they complement each other quite brilliantly and turn in two of the finest screen performances you could ever aspire to see. Olivier plays elderly author Andrew Wyke, an obscenely wealthy, well-educated and devious man. Caine is Milo Tindle, a charming, ever-polite young hairdresser. Milo visits Andrew to ask for his blessing in marrying his estranged wife. Although Andrew seems fairly open to the idea of giving away his wife (after all, they despise each other) he still feels stung by her exit, so he engineers a cruel game to humiliate Milo. But who is playing a trick on who?
The dialogue is terrific, but it needed terrific actors to get the best out of it. Caine and Oloivier do a fine job. Ken Adams' set design turns Olivier's gorgeous palatial house into a dazzling mansion of madness. The tinkly music by John Addison creates a playful yet ever-so-slightly uncomfortable mood. Joseph L. Mankiewicz directs perfectly, getting maximum suspense from his staging of scenes and thoughtful choice of camera angles. The twists are superbly disguised, especially the awesome "shock" climax which will blow you away. See Sleuth - it's one of the best!
Part of the joy is due to Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine. The two giants of Britsh acting don't chew the scenery in an attempt to out-shine each other; they complement each other quite brilliantly and turn in two of the finest screen performances you could ever aspire to see. Olivier plays elderly author Andrew Wyke, an obscenely wealthy, well-educated and devious man. Caine is Milo Tindle, a charming, ever-polite young hairdresser. Milo visits Andrew to ask for his blessing in marrying his estranged wife. Although Andrew seems fairly open to the idea of giving away his wife (after all, they despise each other) he still feels stung by her exit, so he engineers a cruel game to humiliate Milo. But who is playing a trick on who?
The dialogue is terrific, but it needed terrific actors to get the best out of it. Caine and Oloivier do a fine job. Ken Adams' set design turns Olivier's gorgeous palatial house into a dazzling mansion of madness. The tinkly music by John Addison creates a playful yet ever-so-slightly uncomfortable mood. Joseph L. Mankiewicz directs perfectly, getting maximum suspense from his staging of scenes and thoughtful choice of camera angles. The twists are superbly disguised, especially the awesome "shock" climax which will blow you away. See Sleuth - it's one of the best!
helpful•9224
- barnabyrudge
- Oct 7, 2003
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Mord mit kleinen Fehlern
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $4,081,254
- Runtime2 hours 18 minutes
- Color
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