New to Blu-ray in the UK this month is the 1973 mystery ‘whodunnit’, The Last of Sheila. The film – directed by Herbert Ross and written by Anthony Perkins and Stephen Sondheim – stars James Coburn, Richard Benjamin, Dyan Cannon, Ian McShane, James Mason, Joan Hackett, and Raquel Welch.
In the movie, it has been a year since the death of Sheila Greene, and husband Clinton invites a group of six friends to join him on a one-week Mediterranean cruise. When they arrive at the ship, Clinton assigns everyone their cabins for the week and shows them the games room, which is stocked full of board games.
Shortly after everyone is settled, Clinton hands each person an envelope. He informs them this is part of another game, with each envelope containing a secret that is individual to each player.
Over the course of the week, the guests are to take part in an elaborate series of challenges which take place in local towns. Each challenge will uncover one of the secrets, with the winner being the person who can retain their secret the longest.
After the rules are laid out, things get off to a good start with the first challenge proving fun. However, things soon take a dark turn when a death occurs amongst the group, bringing the game to a sudden halt.
Oft overlooked and somewhat underrated, The Last of Sheila is a gem of a whodunnit. It does take a little while to get going, but thanks to a strong script the film gets increasingly more interesting the longer it plays out and builds to something really quite devilish.
Taking inspiration from Agatha Christie stories, while putting its own little spin on things, The Last of Sheila sets out a fairly straightforward murder, but then adds a number of layers to proceedings. So, while the suspect list is slim, and the murder itself is kept to a minimum, it continually keeps its audience guessing.
And just like every good detective yarn or Columbo episode, the film keeps playing its hand up until the final moments. Even when you know who ‘did it’, there’s still a little more punch in the story, and this ensures the film lingers in the mind once the credits begin to roll.
In terms of the cast, the film is filled with recognisable faces, and this helps to keep the mystery ticking over. All of the key players bring something to the mix, but James Coburn and Richard Benjamin are arguably the standout stars.
However, all of the cast get to benefit from the film’s sharp script, which serves up a few witty lines, as well as a number of twists and turns. Writers Perkins and Sondheim deliver something a little different to your average murder mystery, and this allows the film to stand out from the crowd.
Although with this film now being 50 years old, audiences may notice that parts of it do feel a little familiar in places. This is because The Last of Sheila was a big inspiration to writer/director Rian Johnson, who last year delivered Glass Onion, which borrows a few elements here and there.
If you’re thinking of picking up The Last of Sheila on Blu-ray, the film has been released through Warner Bros.’ ‘Archive Collection’, but it is available from all the major entertainment stores (HMV, Fopp, etc). The Blu-ray is priced at around £15, and includes two special features: A theatrical trailer and a commentary by the film’s stars Richard Benjamin, Dyan Cannon and the late Raquel Welch.
As for the film itself, it offers up two hours of engrossing entertainment. I’d say they don’t make movies like this anymore, but a recent resurgence in whodunnits would prove otherwise, so I’ll simply say that not all the whodunnits are as sharp as this one.
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