When successful mystery writer Andrew Wyke's wife asks him for a divorce and he finds that she is shacking up with a man named Milo Tindle, he summons Tindale to his magnificent English manor for a discussion on the state of affairs, as it were. Tindale, hoping to convince Wyke to grant the divorce, agrees. When he arrives at the estate, he finds himself surrounded by such high-tech beauty that he is somewhat put off. What happens next is a battle of wits between the two men that will escalate far beyond what they both intended.
The insults fly between the two men as Wyke parades his wit, wealth and intelligence and Tindale his youth and beauty. As the evening progresses, Wyke makes a shocking proposition to Tindale - he wants the younger man to rob him of his jewels, worth 1.5 million dollars. He claims that he will get the insurance money, Tindale can fence the gems for $800,000 to a friend of Wyke's and be able to support his wife in the way in which she is accustomed. In short, he'll be rid of his wife and make a pile of money to boot. Tindale is understandably leery, but stupidly agrees as it seems Wyke has all the details worked out. When Tindale, obviously frightened by heights, climbs onto the roof, there's no going back. Wyke clearly toys with him, using his high tech gadgetry to make things very difficult. Wyke plays many psychological games with Tindale, but when a gun gets added into the mix, Wyke very nearly scares Tindale to death, pretending to kill him.
From here on out, things are not as they seem. Wyke gets investigated by a tenacious investigator named Inspector Black and becomes frightened that he is being set up for a murder that didn't actually happen. As each man intellectually bests the other man, the situation degenerates. This is a game that neither will win and that becomes more than clear as the movie progresses.
Caine and Law both perform their roles quite well and are rather believable. What is not believable are some of the dumb things they do in each other's company, like falling for one another's mental tricks. I loved the unnerving camera angles used in the film, especially in the beginning third of the movie, where Wyke's gadgets are being shown. Some parts of the movie are shown as if on a video camera screen, and they use this angle quite effectively. The real star of this film, however, is Wyke's absolutely amazing home. Harshly ultra-modern and chic, I would have loved to have seen a featurette on this residence. There are featurettes, however, on Inspector Black's make-up, a behind the scenes featurette and commentary by Branagh, Caine and Law.
While I enjoyed Sleuth, I recall liking the original better, with the exception of the marvelous home this film was shot in. The ending is shocking and abrupt and it does weave a good yarn while you are watching. Sleuth is not for everyone, but if you like a weird mystery riddled with mind games, give this one a rent.
