Kenneth Branagh’s remake (complete overhaul, more like) of the 1974 classic Sleuth was released on Tuesday. It stars Michael Caine and Jude Law as competitors for the love of a woman who are trying to one-up each other in a dangerous battle of wits. The script is by Harold Pinter, who writes about masculine vanity and mind games about as well as anyone (this movie reminds me in some of ways of his early 60s classic, The Servant, starring James Fox and the brilliant Dirk Bogarde).
With Pinter holding the pen, the movie bears little resemblance to the original starring Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine, and critics had a grand ol’ time sharpening their knives on Branagh’s ‘prestige project.’ In point of fact, Sleuth 2.0 is not a ‘prestige’ picture, but rather a wicked, stylish little B-movie. As such, it delivers. Here’s my full review.
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