Without a Clue

This is a great movie! Turning the Sherlock Holmes stories any which way but loose, Michael Caine and Ben Kingsley make a great duet, battling crime and each other. The movie succeeds in being outrageously funny, and yet absolutely gripping. The movie is clean, though Leslie Giles' secret is enough to make you squirm in front of little ones. Overall, though, my family and I loved this movie, and highly recommend it to you!


Very clever, a lot of fun!   July 4, 2004
Ravyn (Chicago, IL USA)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

What if Dr. Watson (Ben Kingsley) is the real detective and Sherlock Holmes is his fictional alter ego whose name he created and uses to protect his medical practice? And what if, when pressured to produce Holmes to the public, Watson hires an out-of-work actor to pretend to be Holmes (Michael Caine). All the actor playing Holmes has to do is what Dr. Watson tells him to do as he, Watson, does all the real sleuthing. This is the clever premise of this film -- all the more clever if you know that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a doctor who wrote the Holmes detective mysteries on the side.

Of course, things start to spiral out of control when "Holmes" tries to solve the mysteries without Watson and "Holmes" makes up a lot of the famous mannerisms.

Lots of humor, a good mystery with quite a bit of suspense and the threat of real danger, plus very nice repartee between the two men as Watson becomes increasingly exasperated with his creation. (This has an almost "Remington Steele" like premise if any of you remember that 1980s TV show starring Pierce Brosnam.) This is a very under-rated film with a top notch cast.

I have not seen this film on the new DVD so can't comment on the quality of this DVD. I'm just reviewing the film itself.


A Sherlock Holmes Treat   July 6, 2005
Shakespeare (The Maine Woods)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

This is a wonderful, literate satire of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, in which Watson is the actual great detective and Holmes an unemployed ham actor. One of Michael Caine's best performances as Holmes, with Ben Kingley witheringly sharp as Watson. Beautiful production, excellent supporting cast. It helps to know your Conan Doyle to appreciate the nuances this film offers. Most unusual that it has not received the notice it deserves.


"Thank you, gentlemen, I am touched." "I can vouch for that!"   January 15, 2007
William J. Irvin (Fremont, CA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

The reviewers who have said you don't have to be a Sherlock Holmes enthusiast who is familiar with the Holmes stories to enjoy this film are exactly right. I don't generally give in to hyperbole when reviewing a movie, so I won't go overboard with superlatives here, suffice to say that this is a charming, delightful and VERY funny satire! It really is. If you are reading this review and have never heard of this movie, or have heard of it but never got around to watching it because it didn't get rave reviews, don't let that deter you any longer! Buy or rent this movie and you will not be disappointed, I'm willing to bet.

The plotline and background of the film have already been reviewed here, so I won't repeat them. I will say that I first began watching this movie with luke warm hopes that I would enjoy it, but boy, did I enjoy it! The time flew by and I laughed almost all the way through it. Usually, movies with so many in-jokes, visual humor and tongue-in-cheek one-liners will have several jokes that fall flat, but very few, if any, do here.

The character of Mrs. Hudson has a prominent role in this film, and it turns out to be a blessing, as Pat Keen played the role to the hilt. Her comedic portrayal of the proper and sometimes haughty Mrs. Hudson of the books was hysterical! (Oops! Some unintended hyperbole there! Well, what the heck, she really was extremely funny and I was impressed at just how engaging Ms. Keen really is! I had never heard of her before this movie and I found myself searching online for roles she has had in other films.)

I give this five stars. Admittedly, I am a huge Holmes fan, but my girlfriend is not and when I loaned this movie to her, she returned it to me saying that she thought it was great. She even threw a couple of notable quotes at me from the film. I liken Without a Clue, in many ways, to the original version of The Out of Towners with Jack Lemmon, another film I reviewed last month. (NOT the new, inferior version with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn). Like Without a Clue, it is also relatively unknown by many people and is a very underrated comedy.

As for the packaging, I too, like others, am disappointed that this DVD is only available in full screen version and take off half a star on my rating for that. I would gladly have paid a few bucks more for some extras, possibly a commentary by Caine or Kingsley (or best of all, BOTH), or even a short interview or two. But since I am not able to give it 4 1/2 stars, I have given it five, as it is clearly worth more than four. Confusing? Peace.