The less you know about Sleuth the more enjoyment you’ll get out of it, so I’ll keep details of the plot to a minimum. Andrew Wyke is a true English gentleman, a writer of detective stories who lives in a luxurious mansion house in the country. Milo Tindle is a hairdresser and the son of an Italian immigrant. Tindle is having an affair with Wyke’s wife and the pair come together at the writer's home to talk things out. What follows is an intricately plotted tale of deception, jealousy, and (maybe) murder that sees two of England’s finest actors at their very best.
There’s more than a little ham in Olivier’s performance but that’s as it should be, for Andrew Wyke is the hammiest of characters, a pretentious, bombastic, snob. One of the film's many delights is the scene where Tindle tells Wyke of his background and about how his Italian father wanted the family to become English. Olivier merely repeats the words “become English” but the way he says it tells everything: one can’t become English, one is either born English or one is not. It’s both a funny scene and an insightful one, giving the viewer an early idea of how superior Wyke thinks himself.
The part could have been written for Olivier (it wasn’t, Anthony Quayle originated the role on the stage and was writer Anthony Shaffer's first choice for the film) for though Wyke is a writer he couldn’t be more theatrical if he tried. This was, along with Marathon Man, the actor’s best work in the '70s. The two films show what a range he had, an English snob in this comedy thriller and a Nazi war criminal in Marathon Man. The parts could hardly be more different and yet he sucks you in completely, you believe in him wholeheartedly and that's a sure sign you're watching a master craftsman at work.
In comparison to the veteran Olivier, Michael Caine's star was on the rise. He already had a number of hits behind him (The Ipcress File, Alfie, The Italian Job, Get Carter) but playing opposite the legendary Olivier in what amounted to a two-hander was like nothing he had done before. He rose to the challenge brilliantly, not allowing the more experienced actor to overshadow him. While Olivier is more mannered (as befits his part) Caine is more natural, more free with his emotions whether they be anger or fear. Both actors were deservedly Oscar-nominated, losing out to Marlon Brando in The Godfather.
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