The other big release living in James Cameron’s shadow over the holiday season, “Sherlock Holmes” pits Robert Downey, Jr. in the titular, brilliant detective character, this time in a 2009 F/X-filled upgrade courtesy of Guy Ritchie.
The plot is a little shaky, but seems to involve the sorcerer Lord Blackwood’s attempt to take over the world in all-too-evil fashion. After his capture and sentenced hanging early on, he returns from the grave to entice the interest of the doubting Detective Holmes and his most trusted counterpart Watson (Jude Law) to investigate.
Law and Downey have a real chemistry here, consistently delivering the laughs and swashbuckling fun. In fact, this end-of-the-decade rendition of the classic character is both unlike anything audiences have seen before and perfectly suitable. The film boasts an infectious “Pirates of the Caribbean” vibe, and Downey is always worth the watch. Having recently jump-started his career again, it’s a pleasure to see the talented A-lister swashbuckling his way through this fast and often funny adventure film. But to my digress, the film has the wrong director: Guy Ritchie. He takes a lot of directorial nods from his “Rock N Rolla” and “Snatch” to deliver a confusing, almost uninteresting narrative. The plot never kept me involved, even when the set pieces and two lead actors did. With that said, the action and comedy deliver for the most part, and for that reason “Holmes” will be a fun time for most, you will just wonder what’s going on. I have to express my minor disappointment, but nonetheless, I am looking forward to a more engaging sequel.
Last 5 posts by Matt V
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- World War Z - June 20th, 2013
I saw this over the weekend, and I mostly agree with your review. I thought the narrative fairly interesting, actually, and did a good job of following the classic detective-style formula: there’s a crime, there’s plenty of suspects and red herrings, and the detective figures everything out through logic and deduction. Mostly I liked the chemistry between Downey Jr. and Law, as you mentioned (ever since Iron Man I’ve had a newfound sense of admiration for Downey Jr). It was cool to see Ritchie play around with a big budget and some big stars, but it kind of makes me want to go back and watch Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels again.