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Amazon.co.uk Review
The actual plot is about forged bank-notes ruining the Empire but is constructed to allow for the usual excursion by picturesque steam train to a clue-ridden holiday destination and some dirty deeds down by the docks. The leads coast through their routines but the supporting cast has an appropriately rat-like and embittered Inspector Lestrade from Jeffrey Jones, a winsomely duplicitous Victorian heroine from Lysette Anthony and a rather good goateed sadist Professor Moriarty from Paul Freeman. It can't hold a magnifying glass to Billy Wilder's The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, but as a Holmesian footnote it edges a deerstalker or so ahead of Gene Wilder's The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother. It certainly beats the Peter Cook-Dudley Moore Hound of the Baskervilles and John Cleese in The Strange Case of the End of Civilisation as We Know It.--Kim Newman
Synopsis
Without A Clue presents an original twist on the famous Sherlock Holmes/Dr. John Watson stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This time, however, Dr. Watson is the one with a talent for solving mysteries, while Holmes is nothing but his fictional creation. After inventing the sleuth in a series of popular stories based on crimes he's solved, Dr. Watson decides to satisfy the public's desire to see Holmes by hiring actor Reginald Kincaid to masquerade as the brilliant detective. But it is not long before Dr. Watson grows to despise the bumbling Kincaid, so he ends their partnership and comes up with a new character modeled after himself. The new creation doesn't go over well with the public though, and the doctor must once again depend on Kincaid--just in time to solve a new mystery. The Without A Clue DVD features interactive menus, English Hard of Hearing subtitles and is aspect ratio 4.3.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lots of laughs in gentle comedy-thriller,
By
This review is from: Without a Clue [DVD] (DVD)
WITHOUT A CLUE (UK - 1988) Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 Theatrical soundtrack: Dolby Stereo 'Sherlock Holmes' turns out to be a ham actor (Michael Caine), hired by brilliant detective Dr. John Watson (Ben Kingsley) to play a character whose adventures are dramatised by Watson and published in a popular weekly magazine. But the two men are forced to set aside their differences when Prof. Moriarty (Paul Freeman) hatches a fiendish plot to destabilise the British Empire... An unexpected gem. Thom Eberhardt's clever reworking of the mythology surrounding Holmes and Watson relies for the most part on character-based comedy rather than puns and sight-gags, and a wonderful cast of experienced British thesps plays it with just the right amount of reverence and mockery (Caine and Kingsley, in particular, make a formidable comic team). However, the script - by Gary Murphy and Larry Strawther - is entirely faithful to the spirit of Conan Doyle's most famous creation: Despite Holmes' incompetence and Watson's escalating outrage, the central mystery is genuinely skilful and engrossing, the clues are delightfully outlandish, and the Victorian atmosphere is conveyed with elegant simplicity, thanks to stylish art direction (by Brian Ackland-Snow) and costume design (by Judy Moorcroft). However, the writers aren't afraid to poke gentle fun at the established conventions, particularly Holmes'/Watson's uncanny ability to draw conclusions from even the most obscure scraps of evidence, and the climax manages to combine warm-hearted comedy and genuine thrills during a final showdown with Moriarty in an abandoned theatre. Sadly, the movie failed to make a splash at the UK/US box-office when released in 1988, but it deserves more than a second chance on DVD. Highly recommended.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
i cry laughing just thinking about this film,
This review is from: Without a Clue [DVD] (DVD)
tears streaming down my face as i barely contain myself, laugh out loudfunny. Caine is superb as is kingsley, i am only sorry i only saw thisfilm for the first time a few weeks ago! Please add this film to yourcollection, some truly pricelessly hilarious moments.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Clever twist on the Sherlock Legend,
By A Customer
This review is from: Without a Clue [DVD] (DVD)
This is such an under rated film. It boasts a great comic performance from Caine and a clever and witty script. I've loved this film for years and I'm happy to see it availible on dvd. The story tells us that Sherlock Holmes was just an actor hired by Watson who was really the one who solved the cases.Every scene is hilarious in which everyone concerned seems oblivious to the truth and interprets Holmes idiosyncrasy as eccentric genius. There are no fancy extra's on this disc, but the film is in widescreen and the transfer is reasonably good. The sound is in two speaker stereo and seems to be quite clear. This is the kind of movie which can stand on it's own two feet without an abundance of extra features you'll probably only watch once. Overall I wasn't disapointed with this dvd. The film rocks and the price is good.
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