The True Blue "Sherlock Holmes" (2009) Movie Review

Welcome to the world of Guy Ritchie, Britain's answer to Martin Scorsese. With his stylized violence, off beat music, and colorful characters, Ritchie has brought Britain's mob scene to a glorious new level of entertainment with acclaimed titles such as "Snatch." and "RockNRolla".
But what happens when the tables turn and he takes a turn at adapting a story of the most famous detective in Britain's history, Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes? The results may not be in line with other movie adaptations, but manages to feature multiple doses of Ritchie's physical violence and witty charm.



For the uninformed, Sherlock Holmes is the quintessential detective. He has the capability to determine your history within minutes of meeting you just by simply examining your clothes. With his colleague, Dr. Watson, he manages to solve cases by pin pointing exact facts that many times would go unnoticed. He is immune to the flirtations brought on by women, with exception to Irene Adler, who has tricked him time after time.
This time, Robert Downey Jr. plays Holmes, who is out to stop the black arts villain, Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong), who manages to ressurect from the dead after being declared dead at a hanging. Downey has an amazing ability of taking us into Holmes mind and portraying him as an organized, detailed man who often comes across anti-social.
Accompanying him is Watson (Jude Law), whose degree in medicine is questioned after miscalculating the death of Blackwood. All the while, he manages to stay sane by dating Mary Mortsan (Kelly Reily), despite Holme's deranged personality that keeps them from ever hitting it off as he calls Watson aside to help with cases. And the story progresses from there in a case not so much about who did it, but how. The facts are laid down almost in rapid fire by Holmes in a manner that could confuse those not ready. In fact, it's almost hard for an audience to really know what's going on at all times unless they are personally involved with the story.
With that in mind, Downey gives a magnificent performance of convincing us that he's smarter than everyone else in the movie. At times it feels insulting, but for the most part comes across as profound and gives us reasons why Ritchie thinks Sherlock Holmes was the greatest detective of all time. This movie feels more like an action movie paying tribute to a detective, but it's done so well with Ritchie's signature speed changing battles that even if it's not accurate, it's entertaining and confirms that Downey is still making up for lost time.
As a Guy Ritchie movie, this movie felt like it was missing certain signatures that makes his work infectious. The battles were almost spot on, if almost mirrored images of scenes from "Snatch.", but were done so much better than majority of movies using that technique this day. Also, with exception to the main cast, featuring Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), none of the characters had the memorable appeal or stand out personalities of Ritchie's other work
I can forgive the music, since it was a period piece, though the fun thrill was at times lost from the overuse of The Dubliners' "The Rocky Road to Dublin". However, despite amazing dialogue deliver, the humor seemed more stripped in favor of facts, which added necessarey suspense, but left out Ritchie's dark humor, which could've fit Downey so well.
In closing, Guy Ritchie's "Sherlock Holmes" is partially a disappointment on terms of what Ritchie is known for. Overall, the movie manages to compensate with fantastic performances and top notch action. If you're looking for a fun movie that will confuse you at unexpected times, go see "Sherlock Holmes".
Rating: 3 out of 5

Comments