Robert Downey Jr turns Sherlock Holmes into an action hero in Guy Ritchie’s new take on the famous character…
// THE PLOT
Detective Sherlock Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson engage in a battle of wits and brawn with a nemesis whose plot is a threat to all of England.
// OUR TWO CENTS
Given that Sherlock Holmes is about the most filmed literary character of all time, it was always going to be a bit of a struggle to find too many new angles for a modern day fresh blockbuster movie to explore. And thus Warner Bros took a chance. It cast Robert Downey Jr in front of the camera, and put Guy Ritchie behind it. It’s fair to say that it wins one gamble, and struggles more with the other.
The movie is still set in London, has its fair share of fight scenes and is laced with dark humor. However, it is enough of a change for alarm bells to start ringing. After all, Holmes is a much-loved character. Arthur Conan Doyle’s books have fans all over the world and Guy Ritchie’s name isn’t exactly the first to come to mind when talking about potential directors for this project. Ritchie hasn’t really tried to bring the classic embodiment of the detective to the screen – there isn’t a deerstalker in sight. This Sherlock Holmes is a very modern man. The clue in what to expect comes from a quote directly from Ritchie himself:
“Conan Doyle wrote popular novels, and we’re trying to make an entertaining, accessible movie.”
The key word here is ‘accessible’. While true Sherlock Holmes fans may well enjoy the show it has to be said that this is a film made for the masses. This newest Holmes film isn’t based on any of Arthur Conan Doyle’s books; we are given a completely original story. We join the duo as they catch serial killer and sorcerer of the occult, Lord Blackwood. It seems Holmes and Watson can close yet another successful case. However when Lord Blackwood returns from the grave, Holmes finds himself having to deal with black magic, a feisty femme fatale from his past, and the idea that with Watson about to get married: their partnership may be coming to an end.
Robert Downey Jr.’s Holmes is a completely different breed of detective. He plays the sleuth like an historical John McClane and many purists will be put off by this transformation. Holmes does as much Victorian London brawling as he does actual sleuthing.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing at all and Downey Jr is wonderfully eccentric in the lead-role. He clearly relishes the part and he treats us to a charismatic portrayal. His eyes dance around maniacally when he is onto something and it is without doubt a performance drenched in pure joy. Jude Law may not be the quintessential Dr Watson either but as the straight man to Downey Jr.’s unhinged weirdo he works perfectly. Downey Jr. and Law have great chemistry together. They argue like school kids or better still like an old married couple and it never gets boring watching them try and get one up on each other verbally.
Rachel McAdams is a suitable feisty female. She plays Irene Adler with gusto and gives her action sequences her all. It’s always nice to see a female love interest that may not be everything she seems. It’s easy to see why Holmes would fall for this wily criminal. She is as aloof and mysterious as he is.
Mark Strong is quite impressive, too. His Lord Blackwood is a very suave master of deception and for fear of giving too much away I won’t go into any more detail. The film’s fight scenes are laced with humor and are reminiscent of silent comedy slapstick.
The script is very good and populated with great one-liners from our two heroes, massive action set pieces and moments of hilarity – the film rarely loses pace. At over two hours, having such a fast-paced script is a necessity, and it’s testament to the screenwriters that they managed to hold my attention throughout.
// THE VERDICT
Sherlock Holmes is an immensely enjoyable ride from start to finish, and forcing the proposed continuation of the story onto the audience, isn’t needed at all. Guy Ritchie has most definitely made his most accessible film to date and working from other people’s scripts clearly suits him.
