Start a free trial Thousands of TV series and movies to watch instantly. Already a member?

Reviews > Movie Reviews > Sherlock Holmes…

Sherlock Holmes Review
21 Dec 2009
Critics rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Reviewed by Tom Charity , LOVEFiLM
Sherlock Holmes

Guy Ritchie takes Sherlock Holmes and makes him his own in this rollicking Victorian adventure.

Cast details

Beginning with a hansom cab careening through the cobbled streets of London, the movie sets off at a breakneck pace. Holmes’ first piece of deductive reasoning is to calculate the likely course of hand-to-hand combat with a heavyset goon – planning a combination of punches as if he were strategizing a a game of chess. This proves to be something of a party piece (as far as I recall this is the first Holmes who also fancies himself a bare-knuckle boxer), and it comes with the added bonus of allowing Mr Ritchie to devote an instant replay to every blow.

Played by Robert Iron Man Downey, Holmes intervenes in the nick of time to prevent another ghastly murder in a series of grotesque killings (shades of Jack the Ripper) and reveals the killer to be none other than a toff, Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong). Case solved. Blackwood is condemned to be hanged, and Sherlock goes stir crazy waiting for another case worthy of his talents to show up.

However, even the world’s greatest detective is surprised when that elusive challenge also turns out to be the pursuit of Lord Blackwood, who is seen rising from the grave the day after his execution – to the acute embarrassment of Dr John Watson (Jude Law), the MD who had pronounced him dead just a few hours earlier.

The case concocted by four credited screenwriters (including Anthony Peckham, who wrote Clint Eastwood?s forthcoming Invictus) is a bit short on deductive reasoning and long on fight scenes, explosions and hijinks. But its supernatural elements do chime with Conan Doyle’s own interest in spiritualism, and sound faint echoes of the best Holmes novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Jude Law, Robert Downey Jr. and Rachel McAdams

Plotting isn’t really this film’s strength though. The very different, energetic pairing of Downey and Law clicks much better than you might think. A subplot about Watson moving out of Baker Street to marry Mary (Kelly Reilly) gives the stars a chance to explore this strong male friendship in a way that is both intimate and comic… in a break with most movie representations, it’s Holmes who emerges as the needier of the two, while Watson is lured back in by his own taste for adventure.

Holmes also gets a redoubtable female foil in the form of Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), an American con-artist who has a nose for the sleuth’s weak spot. In the film’s most traditional role, Eddie Marsan (from Happy Go Lucky) is fun as the slow-witted Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard, always a step or three behind the rest.

The film is not remotely realistic, but it does have a vividly authentic sense of place.

As for Downey, again the casting works surprisingly well. He’s always given the impression of being sharp enough to cut himself, and scenes of Holmes turning self-destructive out of sheer boredom obviously resonate with our idea of the actor. This is a satiric performance, but not parodic – fans of the old Universal Basil Rathbone films may pick up on a couple of affectionate nods in that direction, and, I think, a wider bow in honour of Robert Stephens in Billy Wilder?s maligned masterpiece, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970).

But there’s more! I’ve no idea what the film cost, but it’s surely the most expensive picture Guy Ritchie has made and the production design is astounding. There’s a thrilling sense of Victorian London as the boiler house of the Industrial Revolution. Tower Bridge is under construction (which would put the action in the 1890s). There’s a stunning fight sequence in a boatyard, and the Thames is at the centre of everything. The film is not remotely realistic, but it does have a vividly authentic sense of place.

In the end it’s not quite clever enough to be a great Sherlock Holmes movie, but it is a superior entertainment for the holidays, and if Ritchie succeeds in resurrecting this iconic character for the big screen, then I for one will look forward to more adventures from the team. The game’s afoot!

Sherlock Holmes Reviews

loading loading...

 

Agree or disagree? Write your own review

Review title:

Close

Tips for writing helpful reviews

  • Only review titles you've actually seen!
  • Talk about what you liked and disliked
  • Compare this title with other similar titles
  • Provide plenty of detail - at least 20 words
  • Space things out - use blank lines between paragraphs.
  • Be appropriate - no adult content, libellous statements or naughty words
  • Don't SPAM! No promoting of other websites or services
  • Don't plaguerise! Your submission must be your own original work
  • Don't talk about LOVEFiLM by name

Close

Tips for an eye catching title

  • Don't just repeat the name of the title you're reviewing
  • Don't summarise your entire review in one word - a minimum of 2 words please.
  • Give people a reason to read your full review - create a sense of intrigue or curiosity!
 Keep me anonymous This review contains spoilers (or might spoil it for someone who hasn't seen it yet)
By clicking Preview review you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

Sign up to our free newsletter

Get a weekly dose of love film

Our weekly newsletter is packed full of news, reviews and opinions, and handily delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign up now
Take a gamble on LOVEFiLM competitions and win prizes every week Competitions

News, Reviews & Interviews

Want to watch something right now?

Start your FREE trial now

LOVEFiLM - An Amazon company

Follow LOVEFiLM on

Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | EULA | Affiliates | Jobs | Inside LOVEFiLM Blog | About Us | Contact Us

International sites UK DK DE SE NO

LOVEFiLM, the LOVEFiLM logo and all other LOVEFiLM product or service names are trade marks of LOVEFiLM International Ltd. or its affiliates.

© 2012 LOVEFiLM UK Ltd. or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved.