Damn Good Show Old Boy

Rating: 7/10 (24 May 2012)

On first viewing I was completely underwhelmed by this second outing for the world's greatest detective, although this might've been considerably flavoured by a cinema that would've been more effective as a fridge.
A second sitting, though, revealed a well-paced and thoroughly entertaining period romp, channelled, of course, through Guy Ritchie's highly-stylised lens.
The roguish, yet gentlemanly bromance between Sherlock and Watson, continues to blossom here, allowing for all manner of shenanigans typical of the period, and to add my voice to others suggesting likewise, both actors seemed born to play the parts of these characters.
The rest of the cast perform admirably, although naturally playing second fiddle to our two detectives, with Stephen Fry joining in the hi-jinx as Sherlock's brother.
Noomi Rapace is largely wasted as a Gypsy plot-adhesive, yet continues to make a name for herself, regardless.
The story itself is one of diabolical ambition typically reserved for a Bond movie, with Moriarty, Sherlock's adversary wonderfully pinning down the archetypal villain in just the right measure of charm and menace.
The music is flawless, the scenes exciting, and the possibility of a further adventure is on the cards. All in all, it's pretty hard not to enjoy.
My only real criticism is a lack of moral understanding from Guy Ritchie, highlighted in two separate, but related conversations. In the first we hear Holmes analysing Moriarty's handwriting, which he claims suggests a lack of empathy bordering on moral insanity, yet within half an hour we hear Holmes criticise Moriarty for indulging in a hobby of feeding pigeon's which he dubs "...winged vermin". Surely even the most ignorant of moralists understands that it takes far more empathy for a person to relate to a bird than it does to another human. This actually shows Moriarty to have, either greater empathy than Holmes, or simply a lack of empathy regarding people.
That very minor detail aside, though, I thoroughly enjoyed it, although that may have also been coloured by the fine bottle of red, and the roll of green, I enjoyed whilst watching it.
Here's to the return of our fearless duo.