The Last of Sheila (1973)

1973 • 119 minutes

About this movie

An all-star cast headlines this witty mystery-thriller about a movie producer who invites six friends to a cruise aboard his yacht, the "Sheila," named after his late wife who died in an unsolved hit-and-run accident a year ago that day. As the ship sets sail, those aboard begin to realize that their host has more than innocent parlor games in mind as he pits each against the other, taunting them with the knowledge that his wife's killer is among them. Written by Oscar- and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and lyricist -- and puzzle-fanatic -- Stephen Sondheim ("Dick Tracy, " "West Side Story") and actor-writer Anthony Perkins ("Psycho"). Directed by Oscar-nominee Herbert Ross ("Boys on the Side," "Steel Magnolias"), and starring Raquel Welch ("Naked Gun 33 1/3), Oscar-winner James Coburn ("Maverick"), Richard Benjamin ("Goodbye, Columbus"), and Academy Award-nominees Dyan Cannon ("Heaven Can Wait"), Joan Hackett ("Only When I Laugh") and James Mason ("The Verdict").

Ratings and reviews

I liked the plot a lot, but felt that it suffered at times from sub par acting and inconsistent camera work. Give the talents of Perkins and Sondheim, I expected more. (Granted, Getting Away with Murder, made up for it.)

A very good grandfather movie to Knives Out. If the camera work and lighting was better, you could probably piece the ending together.

A terrific mystery...