Without a Clue
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ben Kingsley, Jeffrey Jones, Lysette Anthony, Michael Caine, Paul FreemanBrand: Sony
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 107 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-03-02
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Movie Reviews of Without a Clue
Movie Review: "How demeaning to be set upon by nitwits!"
Summary: 5 Stars
Watson: "Moriarty knows. I am the only match for his evil genius."
Holmes: "Are you sure he's not trying to kill me?"
Watson: "Of course not. He knows you're an idiot."
Holmes: "Thank God!"
What if Dr. Watson was actually the brains of this very famous partnership? And supposing that Sherlock Holmes was, in fact, a bungling ninny? C'mon, that premise'll draw you in, right? Here's the plot:
Dr. John Watson (Ben Kingsley), not wishing to undermine his career as a physician, once solved a case and attributed the solving of it to a fabricated character he named Sherlock Holmes. Very quickly, demand for this flawless Baker Street sleuth grew, and Watson was soon forced to hire a body to play the part. Enter Reginald Kincaid, a bungling, boozy, womanizing has-been of an actor. Yet, somehow, he fits the part.
But now Sherlock Holmes has taken all the plaudits and the credit away from Watson, who also soon tires of Kincaid's ineptness and habitual drunkenness. After one unsatisfactory incident too many, Watson cuts Kincaid loose and sets out on his own as the dismally self-titled Crime Doctor. But the Crime Doctor promptly finds himself dismissed by the constabulary and scorned by the latest prospective client. In the end, Watson has no recourse but to summon Holmes one last time (he finds him in a drinking establishment, pinching ladies' bums). But it's made perfectly clear, this is very definitely their last case together. And off they go.
It's a great premise, and WITHOUT A CLUE mines it for all its worth even as it upends the Sherlock Holmes mystique. The actual mystery itself which the duo attempts to solve is unimaginative (read: boring), involving the theft of printing plates from the Royal Mint. It's a good thing then that the film's focus is on the comedy. There are several hilarious moments here, laughs at times elicited by physical slapstick and at times by clever punchlines or even by a mere exasperated (Watson) or besotted (Holmes) expression. Ben Kingsley deserves massive props for conveying to mirthful effect some of the very best "pained, put upon, and long suffering" expressions I've seen in cinema.
The two leads, Caine and Kingsley, are splendiferous. If you're a Michael Caine fan, then you're not only aware of his wonderful acting skills, but also of his deft talent for comedy. My favorite Michael Caine film may actually be Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Here, he's even more broad in his style and delivery. It's understood that he's not directly playing Sherlock Holmes, but rather a ruined, drunken actor playing Sherlock Holmes. It's fun watching Michael Caine romp in his role of lecher and imbecile, basking in the glow of Holmes' admirers but being condescended to by those decidedly in the know (it's a sad state of affairs when even a street urchin thinks you're lower than dirt). Now, Ben Kingsley - who doesn't really do a lot of comedic films - he surprised me at how humorous he was, playing the brilliant criminologist just itching to be acknowledged but frustratingly trapped in his own created reality. He and Caine together are masterful. Perfect timing and very good chemistry, two very good British actors letting their hair down. Jeffrey Jones is also good as the always-one-step-behind Inspector Lestrade, and he's gold in the "sleuthing" distraction routine.
It's fortuitous that Caine and Kingsley are so good because Professor Moriarty doesn't really register much of an impact, although I did like his muttered line: "How demeaning to be set upon by nitwits!" But, if nitwits are consistently this funny, well, I guess I could do with a bit more of this brand of ineptitude. Concerning WITHOUT A CLUE, why not relish it for the farce that it is and tolerate it for the mystery that it isn't?
And, by the way, break out the widescreen version already, will ya?
Summary of Without a Clue
Suppose for a moment that Dr. Watson was the real brains behind Sherlock Holmes? The result is anything but elementary! Academy AwardÂ(r) winners* Michael Caine and Ben Kingsley deliver stellar performances as a delightful duo, an 1890s Odd Couple (Los Angeles Times) in this madcapmystery that's 'the most hilarious Sherlock Holmes adventure of them all ('sneak Previews )! Dr. John Watson (Kingsley) is secretly a crime-solving genius. But to protect his reputation as a physician, he hires bumbling, boozy, out-of-work actor Reginald Kincaid (Caine) to play the part of his fictional creation, Sherlock Holmes. The charade works until Watson mysteriously disappears, forcing the baffled, seriously inept Holmes to crack the biggest case of Watson's career on his own! *Caine: Supporting Actor, The Cider House Rules (1999); Supporting Actor, Hannah and Her Sisters (1986); Kingsley: Actor, Gandhi (1982)Similar DVD Movies
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