** out of ****
Directed by: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong and Eddie Marsan
Running time: 128 minutes
Warner Bros. has attempted to capitalize on the recent wave of reboots – revamping staling franchises and characters a la Batman, James Bond and Star Trek – with their latest release, Sherlock Holmes.
The film remains true to Arthur Conan Doyle’s original stories. However, director Guy Ritchie, leading man Robert Downey Jr., and the screenwriting quadrant make mistakes that are, well, quite elementary.
We go to the grimy streets of 19th century Victorian London, where a powerful mystic named Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) has killed five women by sacrificial rituals.
Thankfully, before a sixth falls victim, Blackwood is thwarted by detective Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr., pipe and deerstalker included) and his sidekick, Dr. John Watson (Jude Law). Blackwood is then arrested by the police, led by Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan).
Months later, Holmes is bored by the lack of cases headed his way. A crafty pickpocket – and old flame – named Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) offers him a sum to investigate a missing red-haired midget.
Meanwhile, on the day of Lord Blackwood’s execution, Holmes is summoned by the dark-arts master. Blackwood warns the detective that more deaths will occur after his hanging.
But, even though Watson declares him dead post-execution, Blackwood escapes from his tomb and an eyewitness reports his reincarnated body walking out of the cemetery. The case is on for Holmes and Watson.
Guy Ritchie, responsible for the ultra-violent Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, seems an odd choice to helm the adaptation of a film focusing on a literary legend. Still, he nails the dark, muddy design of Victorian London and clouds the screen – highly appropriately – with dim grays and blacks (menacing blackbirds, too).
He also pays tribute to Holmes’s origins. Audiences may be surprised to see their sleuth kicking butt in bare-chested brawls. In fact, Doyle’s original character was composed of both mental and physical muscle. The film also touches upon Holmes’s drug use and vulgar behaviour, keeping true to Doyle’s detective in his earlier short stories.
However, the hyperkinetic feel of Ritchie’s action sequences disservices Holmes. There is little coherence or rhythm to the editing. The opening fight scene involving Holmes, Watson and a clan of Blackwood’s henchmen is especially messy and confusing.
Moreover, the computerized effects seem unfinished and out-of-place, which don’t help the film’s more exciting sequences.
Robert Downey Jr. has recently enjoyed a healthy career boost. While he’s given some formidable work – his role in Tropic Thunder was that film’s saving grace – he is less than suitable to fit the shoes of the classic sleuth.
Downey Jr. mumbles and fidgets his way through the film, as if he’s portraying Jack Sparrow playing Sherlock Holmes. He never seems to delve into Holmes the “person,” but manages to nail only the loony “character” aspects.
Law, on the other hand, is quite excellent as Sherlock’s stern second-hand man. He has good chemistry with Downey Jr., although he’s never allowed to rise above sidekick status. McAdams, on the other hand, does not spark much chemistry with Downey Jr. Regardless, she also could have gotten more time to flesh out her character.
The script is quite a mess (and not just with the character development). It took four screenwriters to tackle this reboot, and unfortunately, the film seems like the result of many quite-different drafts collided together.
There is some buddy-comedy banter between Holmes and Watson, alongside more serious action fare, not to mention the central mystery story. This juggling of elements ensures that the film remains inconsistent in tone until two-thirds of the way through, when it finally finds its groove.
Perhaps the writers should have focused more on creating a strong film than kick-starting a franchise.
Sherlock Holmes certainly has the potential for a fantastic revamp – from a hip director to an excellent pair of lead actors to the authentic, gothic look. But it’s no mystery where this film goes wrong: the evidence is all around.
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