Without a Clue (1988)

Director:

Thom Eberhardt

Writers (WGA):

Gary Murphy (written by) &
Larry Strawther (written by)

Release Date:

21 October 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Mystery

Tagline:

The outrageous comedy about the world's greatest detective and his bumbling partner...Sherlock Holmes.

Plot:

A drunken Sherlock Holmes is really just a cover for the real detective - Dr Watson.

Plot Keywords:

Violin | Beautiful Woman | Sherlock Holmes | Actor | Detective

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Michael Caine	...	Sherlock Holmes
Ben Kingsley	...	Dr. John Watson
Jeffrey Jones	...	Inspector Lestrade
Lysette Anthony	...	Impostor Leslie Giles
Paul Freeman	...	Professor James Moriarty
Nigel Davenport	...	Lord Smithwick
Pat Keen	...	Mrs. Hudson
Peter Cook	...	Norman Greenhough
Tim Killick	...	Sebastian
Matthew Savage	...	Wiggins
John Warner	...	Peter Giles
Matthew Sim	...	Real Leslie Giles
Harold Innocent	...	Lord Mayor Gerald Fitzwalter Johnson
George Sweeney	...	John Clay
Murray Ewan	...	Archie

Also Known As:

Sherlock and Me
The Imposter of Baker Street (UK) (working title)

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Australia:PG | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Incorporated Television Company (ITC)

Trivia:

The opening sequence of the movie is inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original Sherlock Holmes story "The Red-Headed League." In the story, Sherlock Holmes captures John Clay and his accomplice, Archie. John Clay even calls out at one point, "Jump, Archie, and I'll swing for it!"

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The postcard from Lesley has a picture of the Eiffel Tower occupying one entire side. Postcards of this type did not exist anywhere until 1901 or 1902, and in France not until 1904.

Quotes:

[Holmes and Watson enter a home and Watson picks up the mail]
Dr. Watson: Oh, a French postcard.
Holmes: Really?
[he takes the card from Watson]
Holmes: I know a chap who collected these once. He had this wonderful one... two women... oh, it's just a picture of the Eiffel Tower.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Time Shift: A Study in Sherlock" (2007)

Most excellent comic turn on the Sherlock Holmes saga. The game's afoot!

This is one of Michael Caine's funniest performances and he and Ben Kingsley worked quite well together. The supporting cast is top-notch as well. Jeffry Jones as LeStrade is very good and Peter Cook has a fine supporting turn. As for the premise-that Holmes was a front for Watson, given the fact that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was himself a physician and that he grew so sick of Holmes he tried to kill him off, I suspect he would have enjoyed the whole thing enormously. Twists and turns throughout, as a good mystery should and enough comedy to keep you laughing. Some interesting twists at the end. Poor LeStrade! Recommended.