The game is afoot.... (Without A Clue (DVD))

Member Name: Mildew82

Product:	Without A Clue (DVD)
Date:	19/09/09 (78 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great line-up, hilarious lines and clever use of slapstick

Disadvantages: Inside jokes may be lost on those unfamiliar with Sherlock Holmes

Directed by Thom Eberhardt , Without a Clue (1988) is a hilarious reinvention of the Sherlock Holmes genre which will have you laughing non-stop from beginning to end.


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The Plot
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Sherlock Holmes of 221b Baker Street is the ultimate detective. With impeccable logic and elementary deductive skills his talents are widely renowned - the public love him, the police envy him, criminals fear him. There's just one problem - Sherlock Holmes is in fact a drunken, debauched actor named Reginald Kincaid and it is in fact Dr. Watson that is the brains behind the operation.

It soon transpires that Dr. Watson invented the character of Sherlock Holmes as he couldn't be seen to be a crime detective in his social circle, but the popularity of the Sherlock Holmes stories skyrocketed and the public demanded to meet the real life Sherlock Holmes - cue Reginald Kincaid.

Without a Clue begins with Dr. Watson at the end of his tether. As Reginald Kincaid makes blunder after blunder in their latest case he finally snaps and throws Kincaid out on his ear. With a higher than warranted opinion of the public, Dr Watson tries to invent "John Watson the Crime Doctor" as a replacement for Sherlock Holmes, but is met with nothing but barely disguised scorn.

There's nothing for it - when a new case investigating fraud at the Exchequer drops in Watson's lap and Lord Smithwick will only see Holmes, Watson has to beg for Kincaid to return for one last case. But what starts out as a fairly innocuous mystery takes on a dark twist when it was clear that the prime suspect is none other than Watson's arch nemesis Professor Moriarty.

Let the hilarity begin!

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The Cast
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Michael Caine - Sherlock Holmes / Reginald Kincaid
Ben Kingsley - Dr. John Watson
Jeffrey Jones - Inspector Lestrade
Lysette Anthony - Leslie Giles
Paul Freeman - Professor James Moriarty
Nigel Davenport - Lord Smithwick
Pat Keen - Mrs. Hudson



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My Opinion
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Without a Clue is a genuinely hilarious spoof of Sherlock Holmes. Whilst all spoofs never exactly use subtle humour, Without a Clue is certainly more intelligent than some of the more transparent spoofs like, for example, the Naked Gun or Scary Movie series. Slapstick is certainly used to great comic effect, but is not the most important element of the film. To me, the dialogue and great sense of comic delivery that both Caine and Kinglsey exhibit are where the majority of the humour is derived.

For example:

"You, sir, remind me of someone I once encountered during the curious affair of the Manchurian Mambo."

"I believe that was the Manchurian Mamba, Holmes."

"Mamba, Mambo. What's the difference?"

"Very little, other than one is a deadly poisonous snake and the other is a rather festive Caribbean dance."


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Caine is quite simply wonderful as the washed-up ham actor hanging desperately to his former glories and trying to take on the persona of Sherlock Holmes, often with very limited, yet always amusing, success. Equally, Kingsley is just as fabulous as Dr. Watson - his exasperation at the idiocy of Reginald Kincaid and the fact he has to give him all the credit is comedy genius. The chemistry between these two is brilliant and goes a long way to making this the film as cohesive as it is. The contrasts between their two characters are another great source of humour with Watson making insightful comments and deductive observations to be met with a ludicrous or disinterested response from Holmes.

Jeffrey Jones is also excellent as the long suffering Inspector Lestrade - fruitlessly always trying to get the upper hand over Holmes and his barely restrained anger at constantly being scuppered is highly amusing. Other characters worth mentioning are Mrs Hudson played by Pat Keen and Lord Smithwick played by Nigel Davenport who have barely more than a supporting role, but are wonderfully eccentric and help keep the amusement flowing. Also, Paul Freeman as Professor Moriarty was fittingly sinister.

The quality of production in this film is also of a very high standard. Late 19th / early 20th Century London is brought wonderfully to life, with realistic costumes (naturally including the trademark deerstalker hat and calabash pipe - we couldn't have Sherlock Holmes without them), Hansom cabs lining the streets and street urchins with exaggerated Cockney accents - the whole atmosphere of the film is quite enchanting. I also love the score for this film which I think compliments the humour perfectly. There are wonderful compositions that are designed to affect a silly mood, or create a ludicrously overdramatic or ominous air.

But for all this silliness, there is actually a very good mystery to be solved. With Watson constantly alluding to but never revealing his suspicions, we are frustrated along with Holmes with the case and are left guessing with what will happen next - something all good mysteries should aspire to achieve. With lots of clues and red herrings afoot and a twisty turny plotline, Without a Clue is a very entertaining and highly amusing film.


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Film Overview and Extras
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Director: Thom Eberhardt
Country: UK
Certificate: PG
Runtime: 102 mins
Film Release Date: 21 October 1988
DVD Release Date: 12 November 2001

Due to being updated from VHS to DVD in November 2001 there are sadly no extra bits to the DVD apart from your obligatory Scene Index which is a shame - but the film pretty much speaks for itself so that's all you really need from this DVD.


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Conclusion
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Without a Clue is a fantastic spoof which brings a refreshing twist to the Sherlock Holmes series. With a great line up including Ben Kingsley, Michael Caine and Jeffrey Jones this film will have you falling out of your chairs with laughter at the general overall silliness of the film, but what is ultimately actually a very clever film.

I will leave you with this thought - when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. The truth in this case is unless you want to miss out on some comedy gold you must watch this film - at £2.98 from Amazon it is an absolute steal!

Summary: A clever and hilarious spoof of Sherlock Holmes