No shit indeed, in fact Sherlock Holmes turned out to be remarkably good entertainment. “A Guy Ritchie film” should be enough to sound warning bells. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels was fun. Snatch was a little less fun and often incomprehsible. Swept Away was a turd on the fabric of humanity, and RocknRolla was just weird, although it did offer some redemption in the shape of Thandie Newton.
Hard to imagine how the frenetic cinematography of Mr. Ritchie would translate to the measured world of Mr. Holmes; but it worked well; zooming into detailed clues which meant nothing to the audience until the very clever Sherlock revealed all later in the movie. There was also a substantial amount of hand to hand fighting which suits Ritchie’s style; consistent with the books but not with the smoking jacket, pipe and silly hat with which many associate with the character.
The real treat was Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock. Given Downey’s past, the role of a troubled, drug-taking misfit is something he can relate to, and he gives a nuanced performance. Dr. Watson is played by Jude Law, who appears to be constantly surprised by the fact that someone has stuck a small ferret on his upper lip. The femme fatale is Rachel McAdams, who doesn’t really score many points as either a femme or a fatale. Personally I would have gone with Thandie Newton; but that is more of a general life statement than a movie role recommendation.
But Downey carries the film, the script is witty and there is plenty of action. She who must be obeyed gave it the sanuk maak seal of approval, and you can’t get a higher recommendation than that.
Comments 🔗
2010-01-12| Qon saysis the screener available for download yet? :-P
2010-01-12| Spike saysSurely that would be illegal? I am shocked.
2010-01-13| Lloyd saysGood but not great, some parts of it seemed to drag on and towards the end it became obvious there would be a sequel leaving an open ending, as it was!
2010-01-13| genuinej saysElementary, my dear Lloyd.
2010-01-13| Mike saysNice movie but did fall asleep several times but enjoyed the performance of each actor. Robert Downey Jr was very good.
Think Avatar will sweep the Academy Awards this year.
2010-01-13| Savoy Brown saysSame here as I feel asleep several times during SH… Perhaps it was the sofa in First Class Cinema at Central or the hangover from the previous evening, but I did not fall asleep during the 3D version of Avatar… Pip pip, cheerio and all that rot…
2010-01-13| Spike saysI treated she who must be obeyed to the First Class experience, and the evening was spoiled by some bastard snoring behind us. Now we know….