Sherlock Holmes: I deduce three stars
by Oline H. Cogdill
December 22nd, 2009The new movie Sherlock Holmes is not your father’s – or mother’s – vision of the famous detective.
Jude Law, Robert Downey Jr. Warner Bros. photo
With its lush CGI backdrops of Victorian London, its heart-stopping battle atop the Tower Bridge that really is falling down and a grimy fight in a shipyard, Sherlock Holmes is more action-based than any other film or TV incarnation.
And does it mess with Holmesian holy writ?
Probably.
But then so do the myriad books, short stories and films that have been based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic detective. And never forget Michael Caine and Gene Wilder’s turn as Holmes.
But the main question is does this film directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Dr. Watson work? Does it immerse us in Sherlock Holmes’ world? Make us want to read every book Doyle did? Does it entertain us?
A resounding yes. To put it in numbers – Three resounding stars out of four.
Robert Downey Jr. also is not your father’s version, either. Downey, always an intriguing actor, eschews Basil Rathbone’s aristocratic air and Jeremy Brett’s brainy bearing.
Instead, Downey is a slovenly, unkempt lump of intelligence, given to extreme moods of melancholy when he’s inactive and experimenting with any drug within reach. His Holmes is as physical as he is brilliant. He also is almost always the smartest person in the room with heightened powers of observation.
Downey is not the quintessential Holmes, but he’s the perfect Holmes for the 21st century re-imagining.
Instead of the usual hefty Dr. Watson, it’s the handsome Dr. Watson. Jude Law, for the first time, doesn’t come across as just a pretty boy but as a solid actor. Law’s Watson is Holmes’ closest friend and his only confidant, but he is no sidekick.
A veteran of the Afghan wars dealing with his own demons, this Watson is not content to be in Holmes’ shadow. He’s making plans to move out of the flat he shares with Holmes – at 221B Baker Street, of course – and marry also the strong Mary (Kelly Reilly). In the movie, Watson is not yet Holmes chronicler but there are hints of things to come in the sequel that apparently is in development.
But first, Holmes and Watson will have to save the world.
Mark Strong Warner Bros. photo
Lord Blackwood (a mesmerizing Mark Strong) apparently has risen from the grave after being hanged for a series of ritual murders. Now Blackwood wants complete power over London.
Strong with his Dracula-like cape and his piercing gaze steals the film, a vicious villain worth rousing Holmes out of his funk. As a friend of mine said, he is deliciously evil.
Where Sherlock Holmes veers most from the novels is the character of Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) who plays the one woman whom intrigues Holmes. In the novels, she was the only woman who ever outwitted Holmes. In the film she is more of a master criminal and his former lover. McAdams not only looks good in her Victorian garb but this fine actress holds her own against Downey.
Ritchie’s direction is controlled and inventive. His Sherlock Holmes is no Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Guns, but an energetic view of one of literature’s most iconic characters.
I am no Sherlock Holmes expert, certainly not in league as author Laurie King. Nor in the same league as my good friends Doreen and Toni or my late father-in-law, Steve, who once wrote an essay detailing all the cases mentioned in the novels that were never actually written by Doyle.
I’ll be interested to see what they think. For me, I’ll be one of the first in line to buy Sherlock Holmes on DVD.
Websites you should visit…
[...]below you’ll find the link to some sites that we think you should visit[...]……
Smell Well And Attract Men…
[...]When you know when doing your work you can do a lot more than when you have no skills…..
Great information…
This is often significant. A particular stare upon this coming page content when we are taken aback. We are precisely attracted to one of these problems. That is why we appreciate a potential grocery store, and cost the effort in this. Please keep edit…
Links…
[...]Sites of interest we have a link to[...]……
Great information…
This can be magnificent. A particular stare upon on amount therefore we are stunned. We are most certainly attracted to this kind of ideas. Folk appreciate backyard recommendations, and treasure your precious time in this. Please keep modifying. They’…
trojka…
[...]please pay a visit to the websites we comply with, which includes this one particular, as it represents our picks through the web[...]…
Sources…
[...]check below, are some totally unrelated websites to ours, however, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[...]……
Great website…
[...]we like to honor many other internet sites on the web, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Under are some webpages worth checking out[...]……
Wow!…
A very fascinating post….
avg free download…
[...] Every once in a while we choose blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we choose avg free download[...]……
Online Article……
[...]The information mentioned in the article are some of the best available [...]……
Wow!…
A very awesome post….
open office…
[...] Every once in a while we choose blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we choose open office[...]……
Blogs you should be reading…
[...]Here is a Great Blog You Might Find Interesting that we Encourage You[...]……
You should check this out…
[...] Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a few unrelated data, nevertheless really worth taking a look, whoa did one learn about Mid East has got more problerms as well [...]……
rug…
[...]check beneath, are some completely unrelated sites to ours, nevertheless, they’re most trustworthy sources that we use[...]…
Wow!…
A very awesome post….
Read was interesting, stay in touch……
[...]please visit the sites we follow, including this one, as it represents our picks from the web[...]……
Great information…
This is very good. A good checked out the herb product therefore we are confounded. We’re attracted to this type of clothes. Every appreciate one’s own memo, and number the effort with this. Please keep add relevant content. These are surprisingly va…
Online Article……
[...]The information mentioned in the article are some of the best available [...]……
Read was interesting, stay in touch……
[...]please visit the sites we follow, including this one, as it represents our picks from the web[...]……
Websites you should visit…
[...]below you’ll find the link to some sites that we think you should visit[...]……