It was very difficult for me to go into Sherlock Holmes with an unbiased approach. Guy Ritchie is one of my favorite directors and although this strayed from his usual stabs at modern British culture the trailers gave off the vibe of an interesting re-imagining of a classic character that has been missing for a while in mainstream pop culture. The finished product does not disappoint.
The setting of the film played a large role in engaging the characters and the plot. In addition to the necessary cobblestone streets and murky alleyways, London is shown as a madhouse full of gypsies, street fairs, and tons of criminals. Each of these aspects is put on display at some point to further the plot. This is just the newest example of Guy Ritchie’s focus on the city and its influence on the citizens. This instance is just a bit less contemporary than his other films.
Of course like expected Robert Downey Jr. (Sherlock Holmes) and Jude Law (Dr. John Watson) steal the show. In this reimagining both characters are hands on with all aspects of their cases and even duke it out when the situation calls for it…which it does quite a bit. It never seems like too much though. The fights are paced well and situated at appropriate places in the film.
I may be nitpicking but my biggest complaint is with the dialect. Most of the time it was perfect and even added some humor but at other points I had no idea what people were saying. Maybe that’s a sign of authenticity, but it got so quiet sometimes. That hard to hear accent is probably the reason Downey Jr. is being considered for all the acting awards this season. So what do I know?
This movie is a great balance of action and comedy and it was just a perfect Sherlock Holmes mystery through and through. I can’t wait for the sequel. Maybe Ritchie can work Jason Statham and some of his other commonly used actors into Sherlock 2. (9 out of 10)
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