Holmes returns in visually arresting but largely comedic Guy Ritchie style

Rating: 4/10 (22 December 2009)

Sherlock Holmes is a tricky subject for modern audiences. His cerebral characteristics are, if anything, over-familiar yet if changed too much there is little point in doing the character at all. Guy Ritchie has gone for Holmes as jokey and slightly camp action hero with Downey giving an energetic (if anything too energetic) performance. Whereas in 'Iron Man', Downey perfectly caught the dry decadence of the character, here he plays Holmes as a volatile modern eccentric who seems to spend most of his time sleeping on the floor, jumping around and trying to trick Watson (Jude Law) out of getting married. It isn't enough to make us care about the character, perhaps because he doesn't convincingly seem to care about anything very much himself. In contrast Jude Law plays Watson commendably straight, again as a man of action (though he doesn't have enough to do) and there is a good villain in Mark Strong as an aspiring black magician. The film has quite a look to it and a fast pace but, thanks to the comedic tone, nothing ever seems to be at risk. Even one of the best action sequences (in which Watson appears to be killed) ends not with a bang but a line of dialogue "Watson's alive", which feels oddly like a cop-out.
As for the trade-mark Holmesian deduction, it is derisory. Indeed it typifies the whole problem with this venture in that for something supposed be based on wit, it isn't nearly witty enough. For example Holmes concludes instantly that one character is a Professor because he sees two chalk-marks on his clothes. Why not a school teacher, a surveyor or a pavement artist? Given such low calibre stuff, it's easy to forget the character in the books had flashes of genuine brilliance. Guy Ritchie fans will obviously lap this up, his trade-marks are all here but I'm guessing 'Iron Man'-type success is a very distant hope