FAMILY CRISIS: A hospital visit proves painful for siblings Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Hank (Ethan Hawke) in Before the Devil Knows You're Dead.
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SLEUTH Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz (All About Eve) in his cinematic fare-thee-well, 1972's Sleuth was a delicious adaptation of Anthony Shaffer's stage hit (scripted by the playwright himself), with Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine trading verbal blows as, respectively, mystery writer Andrew Wyke and hairdresser Milo Tindle, the former peeved that the latter is having an affair with his wife. A critique on British class differences as well as a cinematic jigsaw puzzle, the credit for the movie's success was shared equally by writer, director, stars and, crucially, production designer Ken Adam, who turned the Wyke mansion into a funhouse maze of eye-catching bric-a-brac. Working with writer Harold Pinter, director Kenneth Branagh has opted to remake Sleuth, this time with Caine in Olivier's old role and Jude Law in Caine's former part. But this new version isn't lean and mean as much as it's choppy (50 minutes shorter than the original) and mean-spirited. Whereas the '72 Sleuth was informed by Adam's elaborate set, so too does this new edition takes its cue from Tim Harvey's vision for the Wyke home, which is all spare, sleek surfaces bathed in metallic colors. It's easy on the eyes but also cold to the core, and a similar chill punctuates every moment of this poor remake. None of the plot twists enhance the story (especially a homosexual spin), and whereas Milo and (to a lesser degree) Andrew were sympathetic in the original, here we find Andrew barely tolerable and Milo outright odious. Sleuth is no longer a fun whodunnit; it's been transformed into a baffling whatthehellweretheythinking? *1/2
OPENS FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7:
CONTROL: Samantha Morton, Sam Riley,
THE GOLDEN COMPASS: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig.
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