Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes knows martial arts. He knows how to bare-knuckle fight. Before you freak out completely, perhaps I can direct you to the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, which feature Sherlock Holmes being capable of those things. For some reason, a lot of people calling themselves purists are saying that the latest incarnation of the famed British detective, as directed by Guy Ritchie, is a slam against all that Doyle created. Of course, those people are factually wrong, so good going on being purists, guys.

Now, granted, I really enjoyed this new version, titled, shockingly enough, Sherlock Holmes. That doesn't ignore, though, the fact that I would have written that last paragraph, even if I hated the movie. That Sherlock Holmes knew how to fight is not new. That filmmakers would want to make a movie where the detective actually fought someone makes perfect sense. If you read any of the Holmes stories, it's pretty clear that any fully faithful adaptation would be...well, boring. A majority of the shorter stories involve Holmes and his sidekick/best friend Dr. John Watson reminiscing about a past case, fully in dialogue. Would you like to see Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law talk about a past case for 2 hours?

That said, I'm also not sure why some of the negative criticism has been levied against Ritchie, whose work in films such as Snatch and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels has had him pegged as a too-fast, too-kinetic helmer. His unique and flashy style is certainly on display here, but only in small and appropriate doses. With the exceptions of scenes where Holmes reveals, through voice-over, how he's figured something out or how he's about to knock a guy out, there's really nothing too reminiscent of those rock-em-sock-em actioners here.

Though the plot revolves around a mysterious Lord Blackwood who's risen from the grave to take over the known world, Sherlock Holmes is really about the byplay between Holmes and Watson, seen here as something akin to college buddies who haven't fully grown up yet. Holmes' dazzling and dizzying intellect is still in full force, and Watson is still a straight man, but the back-and-forth between Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law, as Holmes and Watson, respectively, is worth the price of admission. These two seem very much like they've been friends, closer to an old married couple, for years. The fun that's to be had here, and there's a lot, is due to the chemistry and charisma these two parrying partners bring to the film.

Mark Strong, the menacing British actor, presents a fearful villain in Blackwood, someone smart enough to pose considerable problems to Holmes. Rachel McAdams stars as Irene Adler, the American con artist who's eluded Holmes' grasp in past stories. Though she's mostly presented as a damsel in distress, even when she's on the other side of the fight, McAdams does her best with the material. That's not to say that she's got a lot of material, because she is the one actor of the main quartet with the least to do, but McAdams is not an actress short on sly charm. Other notable performers include Eddie Marsan, as the two-minutes-late Inspector Lestrade, and Kelly Reilly, as Mary Marstan, the young woman who's taking Watson away to a married life. If there's a main plot between Holmes and Watson, it's how the former will deal with the latter leaving him.

Sherlock Holmes is not going to be a full-on crowd-pleaser for some people, those who are too easy to ignore a movie with a Holmes-as-action-hero lead. However, if you go into the movie expecting an enjoyable, entertaining, almost overstuffed, and more-than-clever piece of filmmaking, you will walk away very satisfied. Though there's also been criticism that the movie is nothing more than a blatant push for a franchise, consider me one paying customer for Sherlock Holmes 2. The corporate plans have sucked me in once again.