Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant

Rating: 10/10 (25 March 2010)

A magnificent return to form as Guy Ritchie unveils his best film yet. This is fantastic mainstream cinema, a witty, gritty re-imagining of a classic character using all the tools at the disposal of a modern film maker, backed for the first film by a major studio.
Robert Downey Jnr is outstanding in the title role; smart, tough, laugh out loud in a deadpan style, charming, dangerous and unpredictable. I echo the London Evening Standard's review - Holmes has never been better. Kudos to Jude Law, I've never been a big fan of his but he excels as Watson the the chemistry between Watson and Holmes was worth the entrance fee alone.
The plot is fairly standard, and has been done before, but its the sheer joy of watching such excellent performances which makes this a winning film. Ritchie's visual stamp is all over the movie and his move from small films to a big studio production is impressive.
Roll on the sequel and well done to all concerned.