Genre: Action, Mystery
Director: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Eddie Marsan
Running Time: 128 minutes (plus trailers)
"The game's afoot"
Cementing his position as one of the most reliable and entertaining actors in Hollywood, Robert Downey Jr. headlines Guy Ritchie’s action packed revival of Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective Sherlock Holmes. When it comes to reinventing franchises, there seem to be two paths that a director can take. You can either go dark and gritty (think Casino Royale) or action packed and spectacular (last year’s Star Trek). Now don’t get me wrong, I like Daniel Craig’s Bond as much as everyone else, but with a character like Holmes (and more importantly, a leading man like Downey) Ritchie mercifully chose the latter option for his reimagining, providing us with a humourous, action packed adventure film featuring one of the most entertaining rogues to hit the big screen since Tony Stark in Iron Man.
Now remind me…who was it who played Tony Stark in Iron Man?
Months after Holmes and Watson foil his dastardly plots to murder young women with sorcery; the sinister Lord Blackwood is executed. This should be the end of the matter; especially for Watson (Jude Law), who is on the verge of leaving the detective business (and his home at 221B Baker Street) following his engagement. But then three days after he is declared dead, Blackwood’s coffin is shattered and his body disappears. Thus the duo are back on the case, racing against the clock to uncover the truth behind Blackwood’s apparent resurrection before he can do something generically evil. I’m pretty sure it was take over the world…yeah, let’s go with that. Complicating matters is the reappearance of the beautiful Irene Adler, the one woman to ever beat Holmes at his own game, whose mysterious employer has a whole other plan for the famous detective.
The thing that makes Sherlock Holmes so incredibly fun to watch is its cast. Blackwood is played with wonderfully sliminess by Mark Strong, whilst Rachel McAdams is breezy and seductive as Holmes mercenary female foil. But the real chemistry is not between Downey and McAdams, but between Downey and Jude Law; their strained partnership is the backbone of the film. Watson’s more grounded character juxtaposed with Holmes larger than life arrogance is reminiscent of Orland Bloom and Johnny Depp in the Pirates of the Caribbean films, or Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson in Shanghai Noon (and indeed Ritchie’s film shares many a similarity with the sequel, Shanghai Knights). The friendship between Holmes and Watson is both touching and endlessly funny, and Downey and Law are a great on screen team.
Guy Ritchie first film, the 1998 British gangster flick Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels remains one of my favourite movies of all time (I’m one of those people who thinks it’s superior to his follow up Snatch). Either way, following Snatch his career went well and truly into the toilet with the abysmal Swept Away and the even worse Revolver. Many people have attributed his directorial downfall to his marriage with Madonna; his first movie after the divorce was 2008’s mildly entertaining RocknRolla. In my opinion, Holmes is the best movie the director has made since his debut. The film-making isn’t as distinctively “Ritchie” as Lock Stock, but there’s still far more directorial and editing flair than you might see from directors for hire like Stephen Sommers or Brett Ratner, and the studio would do well to keep Ritchie at the helm of this franchise. The other big name to keep attached (other than the cast, obviously) is Hans Zimmer, whose score (which I could best describe as “barnyard”) suits the film perfectly.
Now some Holmes fans might have a problem with some of the liberties Ritchie and the screenwriters have taken with these beloved characters. Gone is the deerstalker cap, replaced by Morpheus style sunglasses and a full length leather coat, sending the very clear message that “this ain’t your Fathers Holmes, er…dude”. This is not Hound of the Baskervilles; it’s an action movie, with gunfights, chase scenes and even some slow motion (some might go so far as to say too much slow motion). Even so, Holmes is still Holmes, and so we still get plenty of entertaining speculation and postulating from Downey, and I was pleasantly surprised by the films conclusion, less an action scene and more of a classic mystery reveal, as Holmes deduces exactly how Blackwood has pulled off his plan. This film might outrage the biggest of Holmes aficionados, but to casual fans or complete newcomers (such as myself), this movie is very entertaining.
For me and probably a lot of other people of my age, this is our first real experience with Sherlock Holmes. I’ve never read any of the books and I’ve seen perhaps one or two BBC versions of the character if I’m lucky. So when I think of Sherlock Holmes I don’t think of Basil Rathbone or Jeremy Brett, just as the name Bruce Wayne doesn’t make me think Adam West. Sherlock Holmes to me is Robert Downey Jr. and his leather coat, and Guy Ritchie and his stylish directorial eye. Just as J.J. Abrams made my Star Trek and Christopher Nolan made my Batman, Ritchie has made my Sherlock Holmes. This is the Sherlock Holmes for the 21st century and it is sleek, sexy and spectacular. Bring on the sequel.
Sherlock Holmes is in cinemas now
Director: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Eddie Marsan
Running Time: 128 minutes (plus trailers)
"The game's afoot"
Cementing his position as one of the most reliable and entertaining actors in Hollywood, Robert Downey Jr. headlines Guy Ritchie’s action packed revival of Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective Sherlock Holmes. When it comes to reinventing franchises, there seem to be two paths that a director can take. You can either go dark and gritty (think Casino Royale) or action packed and spectacular (last year’s Star Trek). Now don’t get me wrong, I like Daniel Craig’s Bond as much as everyone else, but with a character like Holmes (and more importantly, a leading man like Downey) Ritchie mercifully chose the latter option for his reimagining, providing us with a humourous, action packed adventure film featuring one of the most entertaining rogues to hit the big screen since Tony Stark in Iron Man.Now remind me…who was it who played Tony Stark in Iron Man?
Months after Holmes and Watson foil his dastardly plots to murder young women with sorcery; the sinister Lord Blackwood is executed. This should be the end of the matter; especially for Watson (Jude Law), who is on the verge of leaving the detective business (and his home at 221B Baker Street) following his engagement. But then three days after he is declared dead, Blackwood’s coffin is shattered and his body disappears. Thus the duo are back on the case, racing against the clock to uncover the truth behind Blackwood’s apparent resurrection before he can do something generically evil. I’m pretty sure it was take over the world…yeah, let’s go with that. Complicating matters is the reappearance of the beautiful Irene Adler, the one woman to ever beat Holmes at his own game, whose mysterious employer has a whole other plan for the famous detective.
The thing that makes Sherlock Holmes so incredibly fun to watch is its cast. Blackwood is played with wonderfully sliminess by Mark Strong, whilst Rachel McAdams is breezy and seductive as Holmes mercenary female foil. But the real chemistry is not between Downey and McAdams, but between Downey and Jude Law; their strained partnership is the backbone of the film. Watson’s more grounded character juxtaposed with Holmes larger than life arrogance is reminiscent of Orland Bloom and Johnny Depp in the Pirates of the Caribbean films, or Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson in Shanghai Noon (and indeed Ritchie’s film shares many a similarity with the sequel, Shanghai Knights). The friendship between Holmes and Watson is both touching and endlessly funny, and Downey and Law are a great on screen team.Guy Ritchie first film, the 1998 British gangster flick Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels remains one of my favourite movies of all time (I’m one of those people who thinks it’s superior to his follow up Snatch). Either way, following Snatch his career went well and truly into the toilet with the abysmal Swept Away and the even worse Revolver. Many people have attributed his directorial downfall to his marriage with Madonna; his first movie after the divorce was 2008’s mildly entertaining RocknRolla. In my opinion, Holmes is the best movie the director has made since his debut. The film-making isn’t as distinctively “Ritchie” as Lock Stock, but there’s still far more directorial and editing flair than you might see from directors for hire like Stephen Sommers or Brett Ratner, and the studio would do well to keep Ritchie at the helm of this franchise. The other big name to keep attached (other than the cast, obviously) is Hans Zimmer, whose score (which I could best describe as “barnyard”) suits the film perfectly.
Now some Holmes fans might have a problem with some of the liberties Ritchie and the screenwriters have taken with these beloved characters. Gone is the deerstalker cap, replaced by Morpheus style sunglasses and a full length leather coat, sending the very clear message that “this ain’t your Fathers Holmes, er…dude”. This is not Hound of the Baskervilles; it’s an action movie, with gunfights, chase scenes and even some slow motion (some might go so far as to say too much slow motion). Even so, Holmes is still Holmes, and so we still get plenty of entertaining speculation and postulating from Downey, and I was pleasantly surprised by the films conclusion, less an action scene and more of a classic mystery reveal, as Holmes deduces exactly how Blackwood has pulled off his plan. This film might outrage the biggest of Holmes aficionados, but to casual fans or complete newcomers (such as myself), this movie is very entertaining.For me and probably a lot of other people of my age, this is our first real experience with Sherlock Holmes. I’ve never read any of the books and I’ve seen perhaps one or two BBC versions of the character if I’m lucky. So when I think of Sherlock Holmes I don’t think of Basil Rathbone or Jeremy Brett, just as the name Bruce Wayne doesn’t make me think Adam West. Sherlock Holmes to me is Robert Downey Jr. and his leather coat, and Guy Ritchie and his stylish directorial eye. Just as J.J. Abrams made my Star Trek and Christopher Nolan made my Batman, Ritchie has made my Sherlock Holmes. This is the Sherlock Holmes for the 21st century and it is sleek, sexy and spectacular. Bring on the sequel.
Sherlock Holmes is in cinemas now
