Sherlock & Eu

Sherlock Holmes is the greatest detective to live. Unfortunately he is only a creation of Dr Watson who is the true great detective. Forced to give life to his creation Watson hires actor Reginald Kincaid to play the part in real life. However when the pair are asked to investigate the theft of £5 note printing plates they find themselves up against Moriarty and in greater danger than they expected.

It sounds like a terrible idea – other films that have messed with the Holmes story have not done well – but this comes off quite nicely. The switch of characters is funny in itself and there are plenty of nice jokes and set pieces. The plot itself is full of holes and never grips as a mystery for one minute - but it is more than sufficient to support a comedy spoof. The real enjoyment comes not from the plot however but from another factor.

The two main actors are superb and it's their class that lifts the film well above the material. Caine is excellent and is visibly enjoying himself while Kingsley also looks at ease with his co-star. Support from Jeffrey Jones and Paul Freeman is good, but really the lead duo make the film work so well.

Overall, it is not a good mystery and it is not what you'd call hilarious – but the casting helps raise the bar a bit to create an enjoyable lightweight film.

A much overlooked film of comic perfection, Without a Clue is a hidden gem of a movie that shows beyond doubt the true talents of its main actors, Michael Caine and Ben Kingsley.

While not the funniest movie of all time, it is in its entirety both heart-warmingly humorous and adorable in its simplicity. The relationship between The two main characters is stunningly portrayed, and the gentle humour throughout is speckled with enough laugh out loud moments, touching character interactions and great supporting roles, as to leave the viewer with nothing but love for the movie and it's stars.

Both Caine and Kingsley are great actors, but in pairing the two together, this movie shows their skill in a completely new light. The comic timing is flawless, and while neither men have had too much experience of comedy, you would never know it from their portrayal of the bumbling Sherlock Holmes and the genius Dr.Watson in this turnabout story of the traditional sleuthing pair.

Where so many other movies have failed to put a worthy spin on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's legacy, the chemistry of it's actors and the sharp but not too wieldy script, make this a must see for any fan of Sherlock Holmes, or any student of comedy.

This movie is living proof that funny doesn't have to slap you in the face in order to grab your attention, and where many other films deemed as comedy classics may find their place in the your memory, this one will find a place in your heart.

"Without A Clue" might be called "Without A Trace," as it sunk upon its 1988 release much like a set of five-pound-note engravings at the bottom of Lake Windemere. Hopefully the new DVD release, albeit pan-and-scan, will give people another chance to catch this terrific send-up of fiction's most celebrated detective.

This is the film that dares reveal Sherlock Holmes is a fraud, an out-of-work actor named Reginald Kincaid (Michael Caine) pulled out of the gutter by a desperate crime-solving doctor named Watson (Ben Kingsley) who needed to produce someone to play the part of this invention of his. Dr. Watson, you see, didn't want the initial notoriety of his sleuthing successes. He desired admission to a medical college that would frown on such things. Now he wishes he wasn't so successful in playing Kincaid off as Holmes; Kincaid's a drunken womanizing blaggard grown too big for his britches, whining that Watson doesn't treat him at all times with the respect his borrowed robes command.

"I am the one the public really cares about," Kincaid/Holmes sniffs.

"Are we talking of the same man who once declared the late Colonel Howard had been bludgeoned to death by a blunt EXCREMENT?"

"Is it my fault if you have such poor handwriting?"

The lines aren't all polished gems, but they complement a pair of nice comic performances by Caine and Kingsley that keep spirits merry as the game goes afoot.

Also well-done is the understated late Victorian period detail and some strategic nods to the Holmes canon like the presence of Mrs. Hudson the housekeeper and the Baker Street Irregulars, all of whom are in on the Kincaid/Holmes secret. There's choice digs at Holmes' notoriety throughout, like a fellow who gives some meaningless eyewitness testimony to Holmes before a rapt hometown crowd who break into applause when Holmes tells Watson: "Make a note of it." Watson's slow burns here and elsewhere reward repeat viewings.

With Henry Mancini doing the score and director Thom Eberhardt effectively working in a light Ealing tone, this film plays like some great lost Peter Sellers comedy, except Sellers would never share the screen so easily with another as Caine and Kingsley do here. Eberhardt also did good work in another film that went past too many people, "Year Of The Comet;" it's a shame we didn't see more of him.

This would be a classic if the mystery at the heart of the story was more developed, and there are a pair of unnecessary killings that distract momentarily from the light tone. I'm not wild about all the supporting performances, but Jeffrey Jones is a very funny Lestrade as he chases Holmes around an abandoned house on his hands and knees, Watson having told his partner first to do his usual sleuthing routine so Watson himself can root around unobserved. Lysette Anthony is sexy and effective as the potential romantic interest, inspiring Holmes to try and solve the case without Watson, as well as look in keyholes when he's not supposed to.

He's less successful attempting elementary deduction when he spies a man he takes for a reporter just back from the subcontinent.

"I'm a barrister and I've never been to India in my life," the man answers.

"But you do read the Times."

"Of course."

"Aha!"

You don't need to be an Arthur Conan Doyle fan to enjoy "Without A Clue," though it helps. This is the best kind of parody, no less riotous and cutting from being a work of true love.

I was a theater manager in 1988. I got this movie called 'Without a Clue', and that describes what I knew about it. I never saw a preview, I had no one sheet (poster) for it......Nothing! When I put the thing together, and saw the beginning, I thought oh, no! Not another Sherlock Holmes movie! (I think they made too many as it is!) But when Watson yelled at Holmes "You idiot!", that blew me away! I sat and watched it and laughed my butt off! Unfortunately, nobody else knew about this movie either! My theater was in a small town, and everybody knew me, and I told people if you want to see a funny movie that has no sex, really bad words, you have to see this movie! On Friday, when it opened, the theater was nowhere near full, on Thursday, the night it closed, we had a good crowd, some seeing it two, or three times (our admission price was $1.00 at the time). Granted, the teen-agers didn't care for it, but the adults loved it! In fact, one lady said to me, why don't they make more like that anymore! This movie IS an overlooked gem of a comedy!

Every once in a while you see a movie that most everyone overlooks but it still strikes a cord with you. Without A Clue is a such a movie. It starts with a clever premise, Watson is the brains behind the bumbling Holmes, and while the actual criminal investiation in the movie isn't exactly a big stretch in deductive reasoning, what makes this movie worthwhile are the solid performances of Michael Caine and Ben Kingsley. The professional reviews linked with this movie would have you believe this movie isn't worth the bother, but that's not true. Caine and Kingsley seem to be having the time of their lives in this movie. (Granted Kingsley has the less flashy role but he still fills it with a great deal of subtley that the likes of Roger Ebert and his ilk must have missed) The quote page has some great excerpts from this funny movie, but there's so much more to it than just that. This one ranks as a guilty pleasure of mine, maybe not one that sits in everyone else's video collection, but it definitely holds a place in mine.