Review of Without a Clue

Immensely enjoyable farce featuring Michael Caine as Sherlock Holmes with a twist - Holmes is merely an invention of Dr Watson (Ben Kingsley) and played by an actor to appease public expectations.

Caine is superbly incompetent and cheeky as Holmes, bumbling his way through the featured mystery where the Royal Mint's printing plates have been stolen by Moriarty, with gormless charm and believable pratfalling.
Kingsley is great in a rare comic role, his vain and exasperated Watson the perfect foil for Caine.

The supporting case are also tremendous, especially Jeffrey Jones as the totally inept Lestrade who couldn't catch a cold if he tried. A reasonably beefed up part from Mrs Hudson is also a welcome touch, particularly in the extended finale set in the basement of an old theatre.

The plot almost seems inconsequential to the play of the characters and as a whole isn't particularly gripping, but its lacklustre storyline does not detract from the film's success.

Moriarty is played as a camp pantomime villain which is a shame, but in the film's limited scope it works.

Overall, great fun and a nice change from so many serious Holmes adaptations.