The great Victorian detective returns in this action thriller directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Robert Downey Jr (in a Golden Globe-winning performance), Jude Law, Rachel McAdams and Mark Strong. Based on a new story by producer Lionel Wigram using Arthur Conan Doyle's famous characters, the film follows Sherlock Holmes (Downey Jr) and his loyal assistant Dr Watson (Law) as they deal with a mysterious new nemesis: Lord Blackwood (Strong), a cult leader and Satanist who harbours the most deadly of intentions. Abandoning the accepted portrayals of Holmes and Watson, as perfected by Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce in the films of the 1930s and '40s, Downey Jr's Holmes is a modern, bohemian man of action and intellect, while Law's Watson is no longer the bumbling fool of old, but a much sharper character with an eye for the ladies and a taste for gambling.
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Well the harbingers of doom and naysayers were out in force when Guy Ritchie took on English icon Sherlock Holmes ...
Well the harbingers of doom and naysayers were out in force when Guy Ritchie took on English icon Sherlock Holmes as his latest project. Surely Warner Bros weren't going to let the mockney director get his hands on the super sleuth with the deerstalker? And teaming Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law as Holmes and Watson was surely never going to work?Then there were reports of last minute reshoots, and the media vultures were lining up to pounce. Would Guy Ritchie end up committing a crime with this latest project, or would Sherlock solve all his problems?Well, incredibly, the latter is the case - for the most part. Fears of teaming Law and RDJ were unfounded, with the pair creating a perfect squabbling, bickering, dynamic duo - much like a married couple and reminiscent of some of the great on-screen buddy pairings such as Redford and Newman, or Gibson and Glover. But there are many differences between previous Holmes and Watson incarnations, with Holmes being a much more physical individual, partaking in bare knuckle fighting for one and tending to use his superior intellect as much for solving riddles as working out the best way to cause maximum pain to an assailant. There is also no hint of the deerstalker or that, ahem, cocaine dependency. It is a 12A certificate after all!Watson, meanwhile, is certainly not the bumbling, blustering fool as so often portrayed before. Law's Dr Watson is a man of military distinction, ideal in a pub brawl or street fight, and with plenty of charm and charisma. Indeed the pairing is a masterstroke. RDJ continues his return to the very pinnacle of his profession after so many years in the wilderness, while Law is back to his best after some dubious performances in The Holiday and the dreadful Sleuth.And the pair is also surrounded by a fine supporting cast, though sadly these lesser characters are given little to do. That said, Mark Strong still manages to excel as the villain of the piece, Lord Blackwood. A cross between the sinister Aleister Crowley and Rasputin, Blackwood is a magnetic, dark figure that inspires respect and fear in equal measure. On the opposite side of the law, is the ever-reliable Eddie Marsan as the bumbling detective Lestrade, while the lovely Rachel McAdams, despite being given minimal exposure, still manages to dazzle as Sherlock's femme fatale.With some brilliant sets and a gritty take on Victorian London, Guy Ritchie has excelled. Equally some of the set pieces are well played out, notably the fight scenes on the docks and a hair-raising encounter on a half finished Tower Bridge, while the casting too is supreme. However, where this film is let down is in the scripting. Not so much the dialogue, which crackles - particularly between Holmes and Watson - but more in terms of plot progression. Indeed the storyline is at times a little ponderous and predictable.However, that said, Sherlock Holmes is a fine romp, with a great cast and enough fun and frolics to keep the whole family entertained, and has, no doubt, done enough to guarantee a sequel - this time featuring the blackguard Moriarty, which should certainly enliven the story.
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Press Association
Guy Ritchie's reinvention of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary sleuth should have been a dream new beginning for the director. ...
Guy Ritchie's reinvention of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary sleuth should have been a dream new beginning for the director. Starting his career in 1998 with the almighty bang of Lock, Stock , &, Two Smoking Barrels, the Hertfordshire-born film-maker has spent most of the past decade in the shadow of then-wife Madonna. Ritchie's emasculation coincided with a steady decline in fortunes behind the camera. With a wedding band on his finger, he masterminded some appalling crimes (Swept Away, Revolver) that should have been punishable with an enforced leave of absence from the director's chair. Sherlock Holmes is the first project since his high-profile divorce and also his most expensive picture to date. Nothing warms the cockles of the heart like a comeback, and there would be a wonderful sense of validation if Ritchie could return to glorious form at the very moment the knives are out for him. Sadly, our cockles will only be lukewarm by the end of this big-budget caper rooted in late 19th-century London. The film has style in abundance and action set-pieces are well choreographed, including a protracted fight in a shipyard. Yet for all the attention to detail, this incarnation of Sherlock Holmes isn't fully formed, with undernourished female characters and a faux supernatural plot that could easily be trimmed by half an hour. Holmes (Robert Downey Jr) and his trusty sidekick Watson (Jude Law) race to the scene of a ritualistic killing, just in time to stop Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) sacrificing his latest victim. Incarcerated in a police cell before his execution, Blackwood torments Scotland Yard Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan) and his men, spreading fear among the ranks. When he finally reaches the gallows, the accused is unrepentant, vowing that "death is only the beginning" before he falls to his doom, the noose tight around his neck. Soon after, news reaches Holmes that the deceased has apparently risen from the grave to continue his reign of terror. Meanwhile, Irene (Rachel McAdams), the only woman ever to outsmart Sherlock, continues to vex him - and Watson prepares to move out of 221B Baker Street with sweetheart Mary (Kelly Reilly). Sherlock Holmes is an entertaining romp, enlivened by banter between a suitably quixotic Downey Jr and strait-laced Law. "No woman wants to marry a doctor who can't tell if a man is dead or not," smirks Sherlock, goading his assistant, who wrongly declared Blackwood dead. McAdams has nothing to do apart from find herself in peril, while Strong bristles with diabolical intent. The script introduces the shadowy figure of Moriarty late into proceedings, to sow the seeds for a sequel. "Please don't underestimate him," pleads Irene. "He's just as brilliant as you and infinitely more devious." And not played by Brad Pitt, as the gossipmongers wanted us to believe.
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