Viewed in
2010
Premise
Robert Downey Jr. plays the famous fictional detective in a Guy Ritchie movie.
Who should watch
Downey and Jude Law fans.
Thoughts
It would have been rubbish had it not been for the two main actors.
Downey's interpretation of Sherlock Holmes was pretty interesting. While he seemed too much like a ladies man and his English accent was lacking, I thought his performance fit the bill for Ritchie's style. Law was excellent as Dr. Watson. He was more of Holmes' equal than sidekick. I have not seen such a peppy performance by Law since 'Artificial Intelligence' and I wish he did more of these types of roles instead of brooding ones.
Overall, the movie makers did a pretty good job of making the brainy detective work entertaining. Obviously, I expected Ritchie's distinct style to help that cause. In addition, they focused on what Holmes saw instead of him merely explaining himself ad nauseum. Translating some of his deductive powers into fighting strategies was pretty cool too.
Some issues I had with the movie: plot was convoluted, antagonist was boring, and I would have liked more of the funny chemistry between Downey and Law.
That chemistry aspect leads me this last issue. If you recall, six month earlier, I had issue with J.J. Abrams entertaining 'Star Trek' film because it felt like the characters were transported into an action flick. Same here. Holmes and Watson were transplanted into a buddy action movie.
I cannot call myself a Holmes purist, for I have not read any of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's works in over a decade, but it just did not feel like a Sherlock Holmes movie. Ritchie's interpretation were not horrible bastardizations of the original characters, but saw Holmes as a more brainy and Watson less conspicuous.
Bottom line is I enjoyed the performances by Downey and Law, and had it been better written I would be more forgiving about whether these were characters were the essence of Doyle's creations.
What I would change
Gotten rid of the supernatural aspect of the antagonist. For some reason, scenes from 'Dragnet' movie kept popping into me head.
