A modern take on the most brilliant literary detective ever, with a fantastic Downey, Jr.!

Rating: 8/10 (20 July 2010)

Published by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, sometime around the turn of the 20th century, the "Sherlock Holmes" stories have become classics of British literature, and have been turned into movies or TV Series dozens of times. But then, when you think you have seen it all, seen him solve every possible murder involving every possible scenario (my favorite still being "The Speckled Band" about a psychopathic ex-doctor and convicted murderer, who plans to kill his stepdaughters using a poisonous snake), Guy Ritchie comes along and makes a film with the incredibly original and creative title "Sherlock Holmes".
Now, the highly conservative Holmes fans will probably give this film ten minutes before they throw the remote control at the TV, but those who have never read the stories will most likely appreciate Ritchie's take on the material. From the highly intelligent, charismatic, professional, and dry character in the books, Holmes turns into a crazy, obnoxious and cynical figure, who enjoys fighting and gambling in the boxing ring and even has a love relationship, something unthinkable for the original. Rather than a classic detective story, this is a modern, action film with plenty of chases and explosions, set to the background of 1890s London and except for the basic outline, doesn't have anything in common with the literary style of Conan Doyle's works.
Lord Blackwood, a necromancer and practionist of black magic, is caught in the act of performing a deadly ritual on a young woman by Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr. Watson and sentenced to death by hanging. Initially, this was also the last case Holmes and Watson were to be working together, before the latter moved out their office and home at Baker Street 221B, and moved together with his girlfriend Mary. Holmes, not too fond of the idea of loosing his partner and best friend, tries to spoil Watson's relationship by any means possible, but he soon realizes that Watson is serious and fears that their long working relationship is over. But then, Lord Blackwood mysteriously vanishes from his grave and is seen wandering around London, murdering the leading members of one of London's secret societies, the Temple of the Four Orders. Watson, who provided the death certificate at Blackwood's execution, is convinced by Holmes to help him close this case, since not only the safety of London is in danger but also Watson's reputation. But soon they discover that there is much more to it, when Irene Adler, a former lover of Holmes shows up in London, but can Holmes still trust her, especially since she doesn't even bother hiding her profession of a thief from him?
Whether you like the modern approach to Sherlock Holmes is of very little importance when looking at the stunning sets that have been build up for this film. London looks fascinating, perfectly creating a nostalgic atmosphere and a creepy feeling in its narrow alleys. Then there are famous landmarks,like the half-finished Tower Bridge, or the Docks, which make the entire scenery even more realistic and it's amazing how easy it has become today to age even a city by 100 years without there being a single glitch in the visuals. "Sherlock Holmes" is wonderfully constructed as an action movie, with not excessively overused action scenes, but some greatly choreographed fights. There is a moment,relatively early in this movie, when Holmes is in the boxing ring with an opponent and the smug detective analyzes and predicts every single movement he needs to make against that rock of a guy to beat him,something shown in slow motion attacks. Many of the typical Holmes clichés are woven into the story just like that, and most of the time it's just incredibly funny how many references to the Conan Doyle stories are included, but yet this film never becomes a complete parody of the character. Hans Zimmer composed a great score, which has a wonderful old, but energetic feel to it, and was among this year's Oscar nominees for Original Score. The one thing that really bugged me about this so-called "popcorn flick" was how much stuff was thrown into the plot regarding the case, and when Holmes eventually starts to reveal the entire mystery towards the end, I had somewhat lost count of which chemicals were used and how exactly everyone met their demise.
Robert Downey, Jr. single-handedly brings the character of Sherlock Holmes back to life, and does it in such a funny, fresh, and crazy way, that he proves once more that he could probably play a brick wall and still receive praise for it. This guy really succeeds in all of his roles, and not only does he have the right charisma and believable ingenuity to play the detective, but he's just so damn sympathetic. Dr. Watson is played by Jude Law, who sadly enjoys a very unfair reputation concerning his looks being better than his acting talent has great chemistry with Holmes and makes a rather convincing doctor and, once again different than in the books, is more than capable of taking out guys with a bigger biceps and Pecs than he has. Rachel McAdams looks cute, certainly, but her chances to act are very limited and most of the time her job is either to look hot or seduce Holmes, making their relationship rather dry, shallow and sparkless, while Mark Strong, whom I already liked in "Body of Lies" gives a menacing and creepy performance as Lord Blackwood.
"Sherlock Holmes" deserves compliments for its freshness and originality in bringing an old-fashioned literary character back to screen. Conan Doyle would probably role over in his grace if he knew this film existed, but those who really want to see an exciting, fast-paced and somewhat unusual flick, should definitely not miss this one.