Sherlock Holmes adapted for XXI century

Rating: 8/10 (27 January 2010)

I know I'm risking to be misunderstood, but I found that "holmish" feeling in the new "Sherlock Holmes" from Guy Ritchie. After a few not very successful variations on the "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" theme, director finally happened to create something of his own, but new. G.Ritchie returns again.
Yes, the story about Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) gives dynamics to action, no to thought this time. The movie contains as many FX as never before. The famous detective himself is a mix of House, M.D. and CSI agent. Too much fighting and too little sophisticated conversations between Holmes and Watson (Jud Law).
However, in my opinion, this movie is a transformation of XIX century detective fiction into the XXI century. The XX century had changed the very style of narration of adventures. Things which had been thrilling the reader in XIX century cannot affect the XXI century viewer in the same level. In order to reach the same highness of tension the radically different stylistic means.
The G.Ritchie's narration beginning give the reading clue instantly. In one of the first scenes Holmes is preparing to beat a security guard of Lord Blacwood, who is the main negative character in the movie, despite professor Moriarty. A prolepsis is given: Holmes in advance plans in which order and to which parts of enemy's body he will beat to knock him out. He also calculates what organs will be damaged and how long it will take them to recover. Then he accomplishes it. Yes, it is a detail of the XXI century movie. But it has "holmish" sagacity. However, for me personally, Holmes relation with his violin illustrates the transformation mentioned before most accurately. Long known as a fan of this instrument, the famous detective in G.Ritchie's movie plays with violin without a bow. He plays with it with his fingers, as if it is a banjo. This Holmes behaves with a violin as cheeky as a film narrator behaves with the traditional material about the legendary sleuth.
By the way, J.Law played Watson is also nonstandard. He is not the smart guy for whom Holmes is only cover as in some other adaptations. He is not a nitwit either, through whom an intelligent detective describes his deductional mind. This time the essence returns – Holmes and Watson is a tandem indeed, the equivalent partners. There wouldn't be a successful end of any case without one of them and there wouldn't be an interesting story without another one.