Sherlock Holmes review

 Number 684 on the top 1000 films of all time is Guy Ritchie's 2009 adaptation of the classic Sherlock Holmes story

Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr) is a maverick, crackpot detective. He and sidekick, the far more level headed Watson (Jude Law) battle to stop the necromancer Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) from his murderous plans. Rachel McAdams stars as Holmes' former flame Irene Adler.

Guy Ritchie is best known for his crime caper films Lock, stock and two smoking Barrels and Snatch. The latter is one of my favourite films. It has all of Ritchie's signature flair from his witty script to fast-paced editing to memorable performances. Did that translate well to the world of Sherlock Holmes? I'm not so sure.

I get that Ritchie and producer Lionel Wigram wanted to do something new and forego the usual Sherlock Holmes' cliches but Ritchie's style didn't fit into late Victorian England at all. Granted I"m not at all familiar with Sherlock Holmes but he and his world have always struck me as embodying a level of Victorian sophistication and restraint which was lacking here. Too much slow-motion. 

Robert Downey Jr was also the wrong choice for the sophisticated Sherlock Holmes. It was a bit like he was playing a modern-day tv detective or showing us Tony Stark as a Victorian detective rather than Iron Man. It was a buffoonish performance. It didn't help he lacked any form of chemistry with Jude Law.

Mark Strong wasn't a particularly memorable villain either. It didn't help he spent much of the film hiding in the shadows. Lord Blackwood was no Noriarty either. As for Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler? I would agree with other critics who said she was underused.

I found myself very cold upon finishing Sherlock Holmes. Considering how much I've enjoyed Guy Ritchie's other films, it was a disappointment.