An action packed and funny take on the Sherlock Holmes story

Rating: 8/10 (23 January 2012)

Having recently enjoyed the BBC series 'Sherlock' I thought it was a good time to watch this film adaptation; it is safe to say they are very different! Here Sherlock is a man of action just as much as he is an intellectual. Set in the traditional Victorian era the film opens with Sherlock and his friend Doctor Watson capturing Lord Blackwood, the killer of five women; given his crime it is no surprise that he is hanged; indeed his death is certified by WatsonÂ… this makes it all the more intriguing when he is reported to have risen from the grave! In the adventure that follows Holmes and Watson must figure out what Blackwood's ultimate aim is and then prevent him from achieving it in order to save the country. The situation is made even more confused by the arrival of Irene Adler, an old acquaintance of Holmes who is now in the employment of the man destined to become Holmes greatest foe.
This film took things far less seriously than the television series but that doesn't mean it wasn't entertaining; in fact it was a romp from start to finish. The action was impressive with Holmes and Watson getting in numerous scrapes and narrowly surviving an explosion and death at the hands of an enormous Frenchman! Robert Downey Jr. puts in a fine performance as Holmes, Jude Law is equally good as Watson and Mark Strong is suitably menacing as the evil Lord Blackwood. It is nice to see director Guy Richie moving away from his regular gangster films as he has brought something new to Holmes and made a film that is exciting, amusing and suitably for adults and all but the youngest children.