A detective story in blockbuster format

Rating: 8/10 (7 February 2010)

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle once famously killed off Sherlock Holmes, only to revive him when the public reacted unfavorably. If he were alive today, he'd probably come to the conclusion that he made the right choice, since the medium of film has truly made sure the great detective will never die: from Basil Rathbone to Billy Wilder via Disney's The Great Mouse Detective to TV's Dr. Gregory House, there's a version of Holmes for all ages and tastes. And now he gets the Hollywood treatment again, albeit with a British director, one Guy Ritchie.
Rather than adapting a specific story, the film goes in its own direction: Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) has just solved a series of grisly murders, but is unhappy because his loyal assistant Dr. Watson (Jude Law) is moving out of their apartment on Baker Street to live with his fiancée Mary Morstan (Kelly Reilly). Soon enough, though, he has more important things to worry about: his former adversary/lover Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) is back in London, and a new chain of macabre events, linked to the alleged resurrection of criminal mastermind Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong), requires his full attention, especially as the fact seem to go against his belief that everything has a rational explanation.
The announcement that Ritchie, the man behind Snatch and RocknRolla, was going to direct Sherlock Holmes was met with some preoccupation due to his fast-paced, "hip" style which many see as the polar opposite of the traditional Holmes story. Additionally, the fact that five writers worked on the script caused some extra anxiety. As it turns out, there was no need to worry on either front: the screenplay has enough smarts and wit to satisfy Conan Doyle purists, while Ritchie's "action" take on the character, which is vaguely rooted in the books (Holmes has been described as a decent amateur boxer), never distracts too much from the mystery, the humor - Holmes' occasional mockery of the police makes for some hilarious conversations with Eddie Marsan's Inspector Lestrade - or the flawless reconstruction of Victorian England (although he could have avoided the use of slow-motion in the fight scenes).
Cast-wise, the two leads are perfect: Downey, no stranger to quirky roles, nails the detective's accent, sarcasm and brilliance with relish (the script also allows for a subtle reference to Holmes' cocaine addiction), while Law counterbalances it with a more serious but charismatic Watson, getting as far away as possible from the chubby buffoon seen in previous incarnations. Strong, always among the best things in any movie where he appears, is an enjoyably sinister antagonist, and McAdams is funny and alluring in equal measure, despite the lack of depth granted to her part (the same goes for Reilly, the other woman in what is otherwise pretty much a "bloke's movie").
All in all, this new, "youthful" version of Sherlock Holmes gets most of the vital things right: it is a blockbuster at heart, but still packs enough charm and potential to make sure the practically inevitable sequel - whose focus on Professor Moriarty is hinted at numerous times during the film - will be the kind of superior big-screen treatment Holmes craves and deserves. Elementary, right?
7,5/10