Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes is one of those wildly entertaining, if not overly substantial winter movies. The great thing about it is that one doesn’t have to classify it as a guilty pleasure, and try to pretend they didn’t like it in mixed company – it is written, acted, and directed intelligently enough that I’m not ashamed to throw my support behind it.

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It is true that my previously recorded love affair with Guy Ritchie’s unique style may be construed as a bias, but I think this feeling is unanimous enough to raise no controversy. The director wowed many with his debut, and though he did not write this film, his mix of action and humor shines through easily.
Robert Downey, Jr. portrays the legendary detective himself, Sherlock Holmes. Unlike previous incarnations, however, in this one the character’s more bohemian qualities shine through – his superior mind is also prone to extreme boredom, disorganization, and occasionally reckless and macabre scientific experiments. This naturally makes him a difficult man to live with, as as his flatmate Dr. Watson, played by Jude Law, would no doubt be quick to tell you. It is perhaps, at least in part, due to this that Dr. Watson is moving out to marry. This is the scene into which we are dropped at the start of the film, when the criminal from their last case, Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) appears to return from the grave.

The style of the film is an undeniable departure from previous ones, while remaining surprisingly true to the source material. Action sequences are not unheard of in Doyle’s stories, and neither are the so-called supernatural elements. Let us remember The Hound of Baskervilles, and the climactic duel cliff-side duel in The Final Problem. Action scenes are certainly more plentiful in this adventure than any we have previously seen, but this is hardly a concern when they are simply so well done. Holmes’ fighting style is perfectly in keeping with the character, and the few times when we get a glimpse of Holmes’ planning of a duel are stunning. A large part of the reason the character works is because of Downey’s superb acting ability. The way the detective is described in this film, it is entirely unimaginable to have anyone else in the role, because he would seem merely quirky and weird in lesser hands.

Other actors fill the range between mediocre and excellent. Jude Law shines through in his understandable indignation at his partner’s actions, Mark Strong is creepy enough to make the character believable, and Eddie Marsan’s Inspector Lestrade is as rat-like as his character requires. Running the other end of the scale is Rachel McAdams’ portrayal of Irene Adler, the only woman to have outwitted Holmes himself. The young actress simply does not have visibly have the experience and intelligence to explain Holmes’ infatuation with her. She unfortunately appears to be brilliant merely because the film, in it’s godlike trickery, says she is, she does not act it.
Ultimately, however, these are mere words, and a picture, including the one I’m describing, is worth a thousand. Those that enjoy intelligent, fast-paced, and humorous action should simply go see it. |