Without a Clue – 1988 | 107 mins | Comedy | Colour

Plot Synopsis

An uneven spoof comedy turning Conan Doyle’s classic Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson escapades on their head, making Dr Watson the brilliant detective who decides to conceal his abilities by inventing an imaginary character called Sherlock Holmes – then hiring a failed actor to play the role. A gloriously over-acting Michael Caine and Ben Kingsley are on top form as the mismatched duo, making for some fantastic verbal sparring. Lysette Anthony and Peter Cook co-star. The thin plot simply fails to succeed as a mystery and develops instead into a mismatched Victorian buddy picture.

Sherlock Holmes is a pseudonym the pompous Dr. Watson (Ben Kingsley) uses when writing crime fiction stories in The Strand magazine. But when Holmes’ character becomes popular, Dr Watson, the real crime-solving genius, needs an actor to perform the Holmes role and the best he can find is hammy, boozy actor Reginald Kincaid (Michael Caine). But Kincaid is liable to publicly talk gibberish and blow his lines so an exasperated Watson fires him from the role.

Watson proposes to venture out on his own as ‘John Watson: Crime Doctor’ and confesses to Norman Greenhough (Peter Cook) the editor of The Strand, that all along he was the real mastermind and that Holmes character was a work of fiction. Greenhough dismisses Watson’s suggestion and threatens to sue unless he returns the Holmes stories. And when the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Nigel Davenport) demands Holmes investigates the mystery surrounding the theft of printing plates from the Royal Mint that threaten the stability of the British Empire, Watson is resigned to locating Kincaid and reemploying him. When on the trail of the villainous Professor Moriarty (Paul Freeman), the ill-matched pair quickly realise appearances are difficult to maintain.