Sleuth

Anthony Shaffer's popular stage play about a well-heeled mystery writer with a love of gamesmanship who concocts a labyrinthine trap for his wife's young lover (only to discover that such schemes can backfire) is basically a crafty work of theatrical artifice. Its first cinematic adaptation in 1972 starring Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine was a hoot. In director Kenneth Branagh's update, Caine takes over the role of the snobbish writer originally played by Olivier, and Jude Law steps into Caine's old shoes as the seemingly hapless mark. Unfortunately, Harold Pinter's script heavily revises the piece—throughout, the dialogue is transformed into inescapably Pinteresque language (oblique, with an unmistakable note of suppressed menace)—while the setting has been changed from an old-fashioned manor stuffed with ramshackle furniture and clattering toys to what looks like the cold, metallic lobby of an ultra-modern hotel. But the biggest difference is that while the earlier film was simply campy fun, this one opts for a much bleaker, nastier tone, with an erotic turn that's unpleasant. The 1972 Sleuth perfectly captured the fun of Shaffer's artificial contraption; Pinter's remodeling offers a sour alternative. Not recommended. [Note: DVD extras include two audio commentaries (one by director Kenneth Branagh and star Michael Caine; the other by costar Jude Law), a 15-minute “A Game of Cat and Mouse” behind-the-scenes featurette, an “Inspector Black: Makeup Secrets Revealed” segment (3 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a disappointing remake.] (F. Swietek)