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Avg. Critic Score: 49 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
16 Iffy for 16+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 75
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    It's like "Deathtrap" crossed with "Cribs" as staged by Stanley Kubrick. Read full review

  • 75
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    Caine, who has never been much for the stage, is a superb screen actor, so good his master classes on acting for the camera are on DVD. Here, dry and clipped, biting and savage, he goes for the kill. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter | Ray Bennett

    Despite top-flight acting from Michael Caine and Jude Law, it loses its grip in the third act and let's the air out of what might have been a memorably gripping film. Read full review

  • 70
    Los Angeles Times | Carina Chocano

    Language this lethal has all but disappeared from the movies, and it's an unmitigated pleasure to observe Caine and Law attack it with such ferocity. Sleuth is nasty fun. Read full review

  • 63
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    While the entire premise of Sleuth is a gimmick, having Michael Caine and Jude Law remake the 1972 adaptation of Anthony Shaffer's Tony Award-winning play heightens the gimmick quotient. Read full review

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle | Ruthe Stein

    Sleuth"is that rare film that would have been better longer. You're not through looking at Caine and Law when the final credits roll. Read full review

  • 50
    Boston Globe | Ty Burr

    The new version is a shiny piece of hardware that might as well be called "Sleuth 2.0," and it's exactly what you would expect from Pinter: very clever, extremely cold. Maliciously entertaining, too, until the halfway point, when you suddenly start wondering why anyone should care. Read full review

  • 50
    Washington Post | Ann Hornaday

    Little more than a sleek, stylish stunt. Read full review

  • 50
    Variety | Robert Koehler

    The results will be received with a large, loud yawn by all but the most loyal fans of Pinter and hard-working co-stars Michael Caine and Jude Law. Read full review

  • 30
    The New York Times | Manohla Dargis

    The result is that what was once insignificant is now insufferable. Read full review

View more reviews for Sleuth on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+ Intense cat-and-mouse thriller is for adults only.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this sleek, adult-oriented thriller tackles mature themes -- infidelity, violence, murder -- from the get-go. Swear words (including "f--k") and other inflammatory language are hurled like weapons; later, actual weapons (including guns and knives) are brandished. It's clear from the beginning that main characters Milo and Andrew aim to annihilate each other. Even older teens may find the film's brutality uncomfortable: This is no cartoonishly violent video game, but an ugly, down and dirty obliteration.
  • Families can talk about infidelity. Can it truly drive people to extremes like the ones shown in this movie, or is that an exaggeration on Hollywood's part? Why is the media so fascinated by love gone awry? Why do you think the filmmakers choose not to show Maggie? Should they have? If you've seen the 1970s original, you can compare and contrast the two. How are they similar and different? Which do you like better? Why?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: The never-seen Maggie cuckolds Andrew and persuades Milo to see her husband. Cruelty rules the day, and both Andrew and Milo aim to humiliate the other. They do so by playing mental games, with the battles quickly turning violent.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence: Lots, though nothing gory. The main characters beat each other up quite brutally (and sometimes in close-up) and later brandish knives and guns (shots are fired). In one scene, Milo nearly strangles Andrew with a necklace. In many others, they threaten to kill each other. The ending is stunning in its cruelty.
  • sex false0 Sex: No sex shown, but the acrimony between the two main characters stems from Andrew's wife leaving him for Milo. Later, sexual tension surfaces between the two men.
  • language false5 Language: Includes uses of "bulls--t," "prick" and "f--k."
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Heavy emphasis on high-tech gadgets (though labels aren't easily identifiable). The remote control for them looks like an iPod Nano.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Characters drink whiskey and other hard liquor; in one painfully humiliating scene, Milo guzzles alcohol straight from the bottle.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

Looking for more reviews? Movies.com Critics Say:

Dave White

3.0

Dave White Profile See Dave White's Profile

… Caine eats Law for breakfast … Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

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