Without a Clue

This comic jewel was given a short distribution run, because of early sour reviews. Expecting tripe, we were instead rewarded with a hilarious treasure. Turning the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stories on their head, Without a Clue offers an ingenious premise: what if Dr. John Watson (Ben Kingsley) was really the deductive genius, and Sherlock Holmes (Michael Caine) merely a bumbling idiot actor who was hired to play Watson's fictional creation? Outrageous havoc, as Watson locks horns with the evil Professor Moriarity, only to be stymied by the incompetent Holmes at every opportunity. Gary Murphy and Larry Strawther have written a grand, rapid-fire, screenplay. Caine is perfect as Holmes (investigating the scene, he idly draws a heart in the dust on a table, out of sheer boredom), and Kingsley, whose previous roles have been largely dramatic, shows exceptional strength as a comic actor, often giving the impression of being in a psychological straitjacket--his impulse to throttle Holmes being ever present. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman) [DVD/Blu-ray Review—Mar. 24, 2015—Olive, 107 min., PG, DVD: $24.95, Blu-ray: $29.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1988's Without a Clue features a fine transfer and a DTS-HD 2.0 soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition, but no extras aside from a trailer. Bottom line: a wonderful comedy makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]