Without a Clue

Michael Caine Director: Thom Eberhardt Thom Eberhardt

Overview

According to Without a Clue, master detective Sherlock Holmes was a wholly fictional character. Well, we knew that; what we didn't know was that Holmes was a figment of the imagination of his chronicler, Dr. John Watson (Ben Kingsley). When Holmes' fame begins to grow, would-be clients besiege Watson's office for chance to consult the Great Detective. In desperation, Watson hires a seedy provincial actor (Michael Caine) to pose as Holmes. Trouble is, the preening actor hasn't got a clue -- about anything.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/31/2015
UPC:	0887090094702
Original Release:	1988
Rating:	PG
Source:	Olive Films
Region Code:	1
Time:	1:47:00

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Michael Caine	"Sherlock Holmes"/Reginald Kincaid
Ben Kingsley	Dr. Watson
Jeffrey Jones	Inspector Lestrade
Lysette Anthony	Fake Leslie
Paul Freeman	Dr. Moriarty
Nigel Davenport	Lord Smithwick
Pat Keen	Mrs. Hudson
Peter Cook	Greenhough
Tim Killick	Sebastian
Mathew Savage	Wiggins
Andrew Bradford	Dockworker
Prince the Dog	Duke
Mathew Sim	Real Leslie
John Warner	Peter Giles
Harold Innocent	Mayor Johnson
George Sweeney	John Clay
Murray Ewan	Archie
Stephen Tiller	Reporter
Michael O'Hagan	Reporter
Ivor Roberts	Reporter
Martin Pallot	Photographer
Gregor Fisher	Bobby at Warehouse
Caroline Milmoe	Constance
Steven O'Donell	Bartender
James Bree	Barrister
Sarah Parr-Byrne	Singer
Clive Mantle	Thug
Dave Cooper	Thug
Richard Henry	Hadler
Lesley Daine	Lady on Train
Jennifer Guy	Christabel
John Tordoff	Mr. Andrews
Alexandra Spencer	Mrs. Andrews
Elizabeth Kelly	Landlady
Sam Davies	Local
Adam Kotz	Local
John Surman	Constable at Lakes
Les White	Henchman
Chris Webb	Henchman
Evan Russell	Sergeant at Docks
Alan Bodenham	Driver

Technical Credits

Thom Eberhardt

Gary Murphy

Larry Strawther

Thom Eberhardt	Director,Screenwriter
Brian Ackland-Snow	Production Designer
Terry Ackland-Snow	Art Director,Production Designer
Lois Burwell	Makeup
Noel Davis	Casting
Nancy Foy	Casting
Peter Frampton	Makeup
Don French	Asst. Director
Martyn Hebert	Production Designer
David Hildyard	Sound/Sound Designer
Alan Hume	Cinematographer
Henry Mancini	Score Composer
Judy Moorcraft	Costumes/Costume Designer
Ben Moses	Associate Producer
Gary Murphy	Screenwriter
Peter James	Set Decoration/Design
Marc Stirdivant	Producer
Larry Strawther	Screenwriter
Peter Tanner	Editor
Robin Tarsnane	Art Director
Tom Brown	Art Director
Paul Weston & His Orchestra	Stunts
Ian Whittaker	Set Decoration/Design
Ian Wingrove	Special Effects
Jeremy Zimmerman	Casting

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- Without a Clue
1. Chapter 1 [13:44]
2. Chapter 2 [13:49]
3. Chapter 3 [18:18]
4. Chapter 4 [13:23]
5. Chapter 5 [:04]
6. Chapter 6 [15:53]
7. Chapter 7 [12:00]
8. Chapter 8 [15:05]
9. Chapter 9 [5:02]

Menu

Disc #1 -- Without a Clue
   Play
   Chapters
   Trailer

Editorial Reviews

Filmed at around the same time as Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Without a Clue finds Michael Caine in similarly deceitful form as a second-tier actor hired to portray the fictitious Sherlock Holmes -- a position his employer (Ben Kingsley) discovers is regrettably permanent. This lays the groundwork for a delicious setup in which the true genius (Kingsley's John Watson) must cleverly feed the puppet genius enough information to "solve" the crimes, all while himself playing the humiliating role of doting protégé. In a truly underrated and under-seen performance, Caine proffers enough hilarious circumlocutory reasoning to convince his adoring public that he's a profound detective mastermind. In fact, given his amazing improvisational skills, it's a bit strange that the film takes for granted that he's an untalented hack. Half the time he's half sloshed, and his skirt-chasing barely escapes notice, but because the myth of Holmes is so great, the actor realizes he can have fun with the part without getting fired. This is all much to the chagrin of Watson, who wants his books to remain best-sellers, and needs an untainted Holmes for that to happen. (It's never certain whether we're supposed to believe that Watson is actually Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but that hardly matters.) Caine's refrain "Make a note of that, Watson" develops a gut-busting familiarity, and some of his facial expressions during scenes of interrogation -- deep thoughts to his admirers, desperate wool-gathering to the audience -- make it a riotous performance. The crime that forms the story's backbone is mostly forgettable, but the fact that it allows Caine and Kingsley to interact with such thinly veiled mutual disdain is reason enough to applaud it.

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