IMDb > Without a Clue (1988)
Without a Clue
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Without a Clue (1988) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   3,000 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 10% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Thom Eberhardt
Writers (WGA):
Gary Murphy (written by) &
Larry Strawther (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Without a Clue on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
21 October 1988 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Crime | Mystery more
Tagline:
The flip side of Sherlock Holmes. more
Plot:
A drunken Sherlock Holmes is really just a cover for the real detective - Dr Watson. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
1 win & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(4 articles)
Interview: James Roday and Dulé Hill
 (From CinemaSpy. 5 August 2009, 6:11 PM, PDT)

James Roday and Dule Hill Get Psyched
 (From MovieWeb. 4 August 2009, 9:21 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Witty entertaining farcical romp more (48 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Sherlock and Me
The Imposter of Baker Street (UK) (working title)
more
Runtime:
107 min
Country:
UK
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby

Fun Stuff

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!" more
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. more
Quotes:
Holmes: Lovely story, Watson. But on page 2 you have me admitting a mistake.
Watson: A writer must write of which he knows...
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in "Time Shift: A Study in Sherlock" (2007) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
8 out of 11 people found the following comment useful.
Witty entertaining farcical romp, 4 May 2002
9/10
Author: BadWebDiver from Perth, Australia

This si a great story idea speculating on the assumption that the real genius of the famous Conan Doyle detective duo is Dr Watson, the academic. The acclaimed Sherlock Holmes is just a publicity front, played by a hack actor, while Watson does the real sleuthing.

It an interesting idea and Ben Kingsley and Michael Caine make it work exceptionally well. This is one of those films where the comedy works best if it's played totally deadpan seriously (which is the case with most comedy in fact). If you run along with this idea, it runs as a very intriguing and wonderfully fun story, almost on par with any other classic Holmes film.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (48 total)

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