Plot
On his sprawling country estate, an aging writer matches wits with the struggling actor who has stolen his wife's heart.

Release Year: 2007

Rating: 6.3/10 (15,640 voted)

Critic's Score: 49/100

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Stars: Michael Caine, Jude Law, Harold Pinter

Storyline
Two extremely clever British men are in a game of trickery and deceit. Andrew Wyke, an aging famous author who lives alone in a high-tech mansion, after his wife Maggie has left him for a younger man; and Milo Tindle, an aspiring actor, equipped with charm and wit, who demonstrates both qualities once again. When Wyke invites Tindle to his mansion, Tindle seeks to convince the former into letting his wife go by signing the divorce paper. However, Wyke seems far more interested in playing mind games with his wife's new lover, and lures him into a series of actions he thoroughly planned in seeking revenge on his unfaithful spouse.

Writers: Harold Pinter, Anthony Shaffer

Cast:
Michael Caine - Andrew
Jude Law - Milo
Harold Pinter - Man on T.V.
Carmel O'Sullivan - Maggie

Taglines: Obey the rules.

Official Website: Official site [United States] | Paramount Pictures [uk] |

Release Date: 11 October 2007

Filming Locations: Twickenham Film Studios, St Margarets, Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK

Opening Weekend: $46,265 (USA) (14 October 2007) (9 Screens)

Gross: $342,835 (USA) (20 January 2008)

Runtime: USA: 86 min  | Argentina: 87 min

Trivia:
CAMEO'Harold Pinter': As a character in a TV adaption Andrew Wyke watches of one of his own books. Albeit uncredited, the man he is interrogating in this scene is also the director Kenneth Branagh, and although his face is not seen, he speaks with his regional Dublin accent. This means there are a total of four actors that appear in the film; the two leads, the script writer and the director.

Goofs:
Continuity: When Andrew and Milo are sitting at either end of the long table enjoying a drink, the position of the bottle changes.

Quotes:
[first lines]
Andrew Wyke: Yes?
Milo Tindle: Andrew Wyke?
Andrew Wyke: That's right.
Milo Tindle: I'm Milo Tindle.

Sleuth According to Harold Pinter

Rating: 7/10

This is one of those cases in which it is impossible to talk about the film in question without making references to the original. The original was a pleasant enough and entertaining enough recreation of the Anthony Shaffer Broadway success. Then, Joseph L Manckiewicz, with the able complicity of Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine, went for the gadgetry and deception that made the play a world wide success without adding or detracting much from the original. Now, Jude Law, producer as well as star, approached Nobel laureate Harold Pinter to reinvent the whole thing and reinvented he did. Michael Caine takes now the Laurence Olivier part and Jude Law falls into the Michael Caine part, perfectly. The elements are now cruder: the language, the set, the wardrobe. Thankfully, it's also shorter, much, much shorter. What's missing is the innocence. This time things are taken a bit too seriously. The homosexual element is a novelty but, I must say, not a surprise. Jude Law exudes sex. It's impossible to put him in a confined environment with just one other person and not be sensitive to the sexual possibilities. He provokes without half trying. He plants sexual ideas in your mind and you feel compelled to break rules and go for it. His Lord Alfred Douglas was a triumph because of that. You understood Oscar Wilde's journey of self destruction just because Jude Law was his navigator. Kenneth Brannagh's theatrical touch works beautifully here and the two actors are worth the price of admission and more. So, at the bottom of all this chatter there is a recommendation. If it had been up to me however I wouldn't have gone to Harold Pinter for the revamping of this minor classic but to Alan Ayckbourn, Alan Bennett or even Tom Stoppard, but that's just me.

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