Without a Clue
1988 · Movie · PG · 107 min · ★ 6.7 · 67% critics
In this playful twist on a classic detective duo, the celebrated sleuth is really a hired front while his partner quietly does the real thinking. When the arrangement falls apart, a high-profile case forces them back together, testing their uneasy partnership amid public expectations and a growing criminal threat.
Based on canon of Sherlock Holmes
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2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Years
- 1988
- Release date
- 1988-05-05
- Language
- English
- Rated
- PG
- Runtime
- 107 min
- Critic score
- 67/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.7/10 (260 votes)
- Box office
- $8,539,181
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a light, Victorian-set Sherlock spoof with lots of banter and a flipped partnership dynamic; Not for you if you need serious mystery tension or subtle comedy like Educating Rita.
Pros: clever role-reversal premise; strong lead chemistry; lots of witty laughs | Cons: uneven script and pacing; low suspense at times; some broad slapstick
Themes
- london, england
- detective
- alcoholism
- victorian england
- 19th century
Cast & crew
Michael Caine
as Sherlock Holmes
Ben Kingsley
as Dr. John Watson
Jeffrey Jones
as Inspector Lestrade
Lysette Anthony
as Impostor Leslie Giles
Nigel Davenport
as Lord Smithwick
Peter Cook
as Greenhough
Gregor Fisher
as Bobby at Warehouse
Paul Freeman
as Prof. James Moriarty
George Sweeney
as John Clay
John Tordoff
as Mr. Andrews
Directed by Thom Eberhardt