Milo Tindle (Michael Caine), a former hairdresser, finds himself invited to cocktails by renowned mystery writer, Andrew Wkye (Laurence Olivier). Wyke’s 16th century residence is a treasure trove of games paraphernalia - dart boards, chess sets, robots and mazes, and Tindle is about to join the accoutrements. When Wyke reveals that he knows about Milo’s involvement with his estranged wife, Marguerite (Margo Channing), he devises a ploy to avoid paying alimony - a ploy that involves Tindle robbing his lover so that Wyke can claim on the insurance money. A power struggle ensues between the younger, middle class rival and the blue blood, upper-class ageing mystery writer. This taut, 3 character film was nominated for 3 Academy awards and was Mankiewicz’s final film. Based on the stage play by Anthony Shaffer.
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How to watch
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
315847
Language
English
Audience classification
MA
Subject categories
Courtroom, Crime, Espionage & Thrillers
Courtroom, Crime, Espionage & Thrillers → Thrillers
Crime, Espionage, Justice, Police & Prisons → Robbery
Family, Gender Identity, Relationships & Sexuality → Interpersonal conflict
Feature films → Feature films - Great Britain
Food, Health, Lifestyle, Medicine, Psychology & Safety → Interpersonal conflict
Food, Health, Lifestyle, Medicine, Psychology & Safety → Revenge
Literature → English literature - Film and video adaptations
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
VHS; Access Print (Section 1)