Guy Ritchie has outdone himself with Sherlock Holmes.

Rating: 7/10 (28 December 2009)

For me there will only be one Sherlock Holmes, Basil Rathborne. He was the Holmes I grew up watching when I was a wee lad. But I must say, Downey Jr puts in a good turn as gifted detective. Holmes is charismatic, humorous and has better dress sense than Rathborne's Holmes. More or less Robert Downey Jr playing himself but with an English accent. He did a good job none the less. As for the rest of the film's performers, Jude Law was really good as Watson, probably one of his best performances in a long time. Not a big fan of Law but he did well to keep up will Downey Jr's Holmes and the chemistry between the two worked well. Mark Strong did well as Lord Blackwood and continues to deliver reliable performances with the roles he plays. I thought Rachel McAdams was passable at best. Would have been a much better film without here inclusion. Apart from being the eye candy...sorry...damsel in distress, she offered nothing else apart from looking gorgeous in her Victorian gladrags. She is a good actress, just not in this film. The film does well to mix the action and comedy, boasting some edge of seat set pieces and some good laughs, most of which come from the two leads, who have the best lines in the film. Guy Ritchie has outdone himself with Sherlock Holmes. For a director whose always been known for making gangster movies, he's done well here. And I hope builds from the success of this movie and makes a sequel. All in all, a enjoyable movie, with good performances, set pieces and impressive visual effects. Worth the price of admission.