Jude Law and Michael Caine brave the rain at London premiere

Sir Michael, 74, made it a family affair by bringing along glamorous wife Shakira and his two daughters Natasha and Nikki.

Heart-throb Law, 34, wowed fans with a new shaved haircut, while the Get Carter star suffered a dent to his cool image by managing to get biro on his forehead.

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The actors both appear in the remake of the acclaimed 1972 thriller.

Film veteran Sir Michael played opposite Sir Laurence Olivier when the original film was made 35 years ago.

This time, Law plays the younger man and Sir Michael has stepped into Olivier's shoes.

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Kenneth Branagh directs the film and Nobel Prize-winning writer Harold Pinter penned the script, his first film screenplay in over 10 years.

The original movie, a study of sexual conflict, jealousy, power and manipulation, was based on Anthony Shaffer's award-winning play.

Rubbing away the pen marks from his forehead after being alerted to them by his spokesman, Sir Michael said of the film: "There aren't any lines that are the same as the original movie.

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"There was no point in remaking the original Shaffer script."

This is not the first time that Law has appeared in a remake of a classic Sir Michael film, after he reprised the Oscar-winning actor's role as a womaniser in a panned remake of 60s classic Alfie.

But Sir Michael said: "He is following his own career. He has made so many wonderful movies, he's a wonderful actor and person.

"I suppose he's a bit like me in the sense that he's coming up, but it's much harder today."

After admiring his co-star's new haircut, he joked of his own forehead: "Someone has stuck biro on my head. It's a good job I'm not in front of the cameras anymore."

Law said of working with the Italian Job star: "I don't get particularly star-struck, but once or twice the reality of what I was doing popped into my head.

"I would have to be staring him down in the film and then I would suddenly think, 'What am I doing? This is a Knight of the Realm no less."'

He joked of the British stars on the red carpet, who also included the British director of the film and Pinter: "It makes you very proud to be British, while being out there in the rain."

The director said of his two stars: "They have remarkable chemistry. It's a chemistry or jazz, whatever you want to call it, it works."

Other celebrities who attended tonight included singer George Michael and boyfriend Kenny Goss, Cilla Black, Sir David Frost, Martin Kemp, Martin Freeman, Bill Wyman and Patrick Stewart.

Nikki is Sir Michael's daughter from his first marriage to Patricia Haines, while Natasha is his younger daughter from his marriage to Shakira.

The premiere was in London's Leicester Square.