A drunken Sherlock Holmes is really just a cover for the real detective, Dr. Watson.
This is a Sherlock Holmes story with a difference. Here, Dr. Watson is the ace detective and has been using an actor to play the part Holmes. Holmes is a drunken actor and gets on Watson's nerves. When Watson tries to go it alone, he doesn't have much success, so he is forced to let Holmes take all the credit once more.—Rob Hartill
A farcical take on the Sherlock Holmes stories, which proposes that the world's greatest detective is merely the fictional creation of Dr. Watson (Kingsley), the real crime-solving genius. However, the doctor has a problem, in that he needs someone to appear as Holmes, and the best he can turn up is drunken stage actor Reginald Kincaid (Caine). To cap it all, the ill-matched pair find themselves the victims of the villainous Moriarty.
After resolving a major case of heist of Arts pieces in a museum, Sherlock Holmes gives an interview to the press. When they are alone, Dr. John Watson reprehends Holmes, who is indeed the washed-up drunken dumb and womanizer stage actor Reginald Kincaid. Dr. Watson has created the character since he is a medical doctor that wanted to preserve his medical career and join a famous institution and acted as a detective as a hobby only. After writing short stories about Sherlock Holmes in The Strand Magazine, Holmes becomes popular in London. Now Watson fires Kincaid and decides to assume the investigations by himself as the "The Crime Doctor". However, the publisher does not accept the change. Out of the blue, Scotland Yard's Inspector Lestrade, who has a beef with Holmes, comes with the British government treasurer to see Holmes about the theft of printing plates of five pounds notes and the disappearance of the responsible Peter Giles in the same night. But they refuse to discuss the subject with Watson, forcing him to hire Kincaid again. Now Watson begins to investigate the case, with the support of the urchin Wiggins and his gang, who knows with Watson's maid Mrs. Hudson that Sherlock Holmes is fraud.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Thom Eberhardt rewrote the screenplay and directed WITHOUT A CLUE, starring Ben Kingsley and Michael Caine. "Without a Clue" is a classic British comedy film that tells a comedic tale of Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Dr. Watson, played by Ben Kingsley and Michael Caine, respectively. In this hilarious adaptation, Dr. Watson is actually the true mastermind behind all of Holmes' famous cases, and hires an actor to play the role of the fictional detective so as to maintain the illusion. Together, the two embark on a series of humorous adventures, culminating in a mystery involving stolen government documents that must be solved using their wit and cunning. The film is known for its witty humor, clever writing, and strong performances from the talented cast, and is a must-see for fans of British comedy.—The Goodies
Sherlock Holmes is real, except he's a fake.
It's a world where the London public reads the mysteries of the greatest living detective, as chronicled by his friend Dr. Watson, in the Strand Magazine. The story begins as one such adventure ends, with the famous pair catching some criminals in the act. The familiar Inspector Lestrade arrives with enough manpower to make the arrests. Holmes dramatically declares the case closed.
Once everyone's gone, Watson loudly calls Holmes an idiot.
On the carriage ride back to Baker Street, Holmes meekly asks what mistakes he's made, but is more concerned with impressing reporters that await them at the entry stairs. After going indoors, an argument ensues with Missus Hudson taking Watson's side. It is clear that Watson is smarter than the average doctor whereas the well-known genius of Sherlock Holmes is just a facade known only to the three of them. Watson and Hudson have had enough.
Watson visits the offices of the Strand Magazine and confesses the backstory. He solved the Study in Scarlet (Holmes' famous first case) by himself. But the timing coincided with his medical license renewal, and he didn't want the stuff-shirt review board distracted by his moonlighting as a mystery solver.
So he claimed to have met a detective who'd done the job. Gossip spread and many wanted a face to go with the made-up name. Watson therefore sought a stage actor, not realizing he'd have to hire him full-time.
Enter Reginald Kincaid, a great one for maintaining a character, but secretly a bungling alcoholic.
At cost of exposing his own great lie, Watson has now chosen to fire his fake Holmes, but perilous circumstances may make their parting fatal. Watson finds it harder than expected to escape Sherlock's shadow, and Reginald is stuck trying to solve his hardest case yet with no real head for detection.
Meanwhile, Professor Moriarty has stolen printing plates to mint his own money, and may already know the sad secret of Sherlock Holmes.
