Sherlock Holmes

Director: Guy Ritchie
Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Kelly Reilly and Mark Strong
DVD release: 6 May 2010
Rated: M

One problem with bringing classics to the screen is that many people have formed their own impressions of the characters from the book. Basil Rathbone came close to the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle image of the reclusive, brilliant but eccentric detective in the series of films done in the 40s. Guy Ritchie, the flamboyant director best known for his Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels turns Conan Doyle on his head for the latest brawny and disheveled incarnation of Sherlock Holmes; a direct opposite to aloof and mannered Rathbone. This comes as a shock in an early scene where the famous detective punches it out bare-chested in a grotty fight club.

In this rather wacky adventure - not from the pen of Doyle although some elements may be attributed - Holmes (Robert Downey Jr) faces the unscrupulous arch-villain Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong). Holmes and Dr. John Watson (Jude Law) pursue and capture Blackwood, who’s sentenced to hang for several ritual murders. Despite being soundly hanged, he resurrects thanks to a miracle of black magic, and takes on the formidable task of establishing a fascist regime with a Dan Brown styled cult of VIPs, even intending to subjugate the American colonies. This takeover means mass murder of the unwilling in a Guy Fawkes-inspired plot.

With the redoubtable duo on his trail, Lord Blackwood has his work cut out. However Watson falls in love with a stunner, Mary Morstan (Kelly Reilly), and intends to finish his partnership with Holmes, but the irascible detective has other ideas. Holmes finds his old rival Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) involved with Blackwood, and also discovers that mysterious master criminal Professor Moriarty pulling strings in the background. The plot races breakneck to an ending with a super cliffhanger on the partly completed Tower Bridge.

We’re swept into the story from the first shot with the game well afoot, plunging us into the middle of a Holmes adventure. It’s all the action, fun and pace of the old Perils of Pauline serials coated in a thin veneer of Conan Doyle. In fact Sherlock and his colleagues have been whipped out of Victoria’s sensible England of social status, hansom cabs and polite tea-and-scones, into a grungy London of the David Lynch ilk steaming with Industrial Revolution overtones.

Arthur Conan Doyle may be doing handstands in his grave but contemporary audiences will applaud the new breed of Holmes and Watson as being exhilarating fun. There’s no sign of the famous deerstalker hat, and ‘elementary my dear Watson’ doesn’t even get a run. Purists and lovers of the books may not be so inspired, but for most people, especially the young, the Ritchie version provides plenty of fast-paced action thrills. Unlike the old slightly dumbed-down Rathbone films, the new script is witty and sharply focused. Nigel Bruce played Watson as a bumbling buffoon not in keeping with Doyle’s original narrator of the adventures. By comparison Jude Law (Sleuth) gives us a dynamic and resourceful Watson, even filching a few scenes from Sherlock.

Robert Downey Jr delivers a swashbuckling, hard-punching Holmes akin to Indiana Jones, often looking a train wreck yet retaining his amazing deductive skill. Downey gets better with every film, and this role’s a logical extension of Iron Man. The real joy of the new film is the wonderful rapport between Downey and Law, they work so well together, Law seems motivated by Downey’s larger-than-life portrayal. Mark Strong (RocknRolla) relishes playing Blackwood, the deliciously evil villain, with a wink and a nod to Bela Lugosi; even borrowing his Dracula cloak, slick hair and a snaggletooth, and curiously having a passing resemblance to Basil Rathbone. Rachel McAdams (The Time Traveler’s Wife) gives dignity to Irene, while Eddie Marsan (Happy-Go-Lucky) does a suitably officious and ineffectual Inspector Lestrade.

Many striking set pieces include a ship in the dockyards, the Tower Bridge under construction, and an explosion at warehouses cleverly reproduced in silence as Sherlock is deafened by the blast. The fabled rooms at 221A Baker Street are a marvel of ruination; and the secret weapon a masterpiece of Heath Robinson. Supernatural elements are reminiscent of The Hounds of the Baskervilles. Sherlock’s long running fights with the towering thug Dredger (Joe Egan) echo the indestructible tenacity of those iconic tough guys in James Bond films.

Guy Ritchie’s big budget production is set to do well at the box office - it’s action-packed, and courts pop culture with martial arts and Dan Brown symbolism. A nice touch - the flies and violin sequence - is a direct homage to the Rathbone films. With a blatant eye to the sequel, Professor Moriarty is seen only in shadow, as presumably the actor for the next round hasn’t yet been chosen. While not without its faults, this Sherlock Holmes has a lot going for it.

John Bale