Excellent Use of Cinematography to Accent Holmes' Complexity

Rating: 9/10 (2 December 2015)

Directed by Guy Ritchie and released in 2009 Sherlock Holmes is an example of good use of cinematography. Ritchie did an excellent job of updating this classic story using modern techniques and editing. This movie is both a mystery and an action movie and Ritchie does an excellent job accenting both with his cinematography. Most of the movie uses cold color temperatures which when combined with the setting and the costumes reflect the time period of the movie and the cold dreariness of late 1800s London. In addition to the color temperature the movie predominantly uses low-key lighting, which creates a lot of shadows and contrast. Low-key lighting draws your eyes to what the director wants you to look at and everything else is obscured by shadow. To create the effect of mysteriousness Ritchie chose to use lots of side lighting, which illuminates one side of the face and leaves the other in shadow. Typically in cinema this is used to showcase a character's duality.
The acting in this movie by both Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law is spectacular. Both actors are able to build off of each other in order to recreate the Holmes/Watson pair. Robert Downey Jr. does an especially good job at portraying the complex, super intelligent detective while also portraying Holmes' other traits such as inventor, and brawler.
Overall I think that this movie is a great update of this classic story that stays true to the idea of the original Sherlock Holmes while giving it a modern flare that adds to the action and mystery of the story.