Sleuth (1972)

Sleuth is a tightly wound, dialogue-driven mystery thriller that stages a cat-and-mouse duel between two men bound by the same woman. Andrew Wyke, a wealthy, theatrical crime novelist, invites his wife's lover, Milo Tindle, to his isolated country house and proposes an outrageous scheme — a staged burglary that would let Wyke avoid a costly divorce. What begins as a seemingly civilized negotiation quickly devolves into an escalating battle of wit, humiliation, and deception, with each man trying to outplay and outmaneuver the other. Viewers can expect razor-sharp, theatrical dialogue, shifting power dynamics, and darkly comic moments layered over growing menace. The film plays like a chess match of psychological twists: loyalties blur, identities shift, and what feels like a game may have deadly consequences. If you enjoy tense two-hander dramas, intellectual mind games, and endings that upend expectations, Sleuth delivers an elegant, suspenseful experience that keeps you guessing until the final move.

Actors: Laurence Olivier, Michael Caine, Alec Cawthorne

Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Runtime: 138 min

Genres: Mystery, Thriller

8.2 /10 7.9 /10 8.1 /10