Sherlock Holmes

Guy Ritchie, especially in the UK, gets a bit of a kicking at times from critics. Amongst all the accusations of being a “Mockney” and the razzmatazz of being Mr Madonna, it seems to be forgotten that he is a film director first and foremost. Having said that, the brickbats thrown at Swept Away and Revolver are well directed. However, which director doesn’t have a few bad apples on their CV? At least Ritchie did well to recover from that double whammy with the encouraging return to form that was RocknRolla. He now follows that up with another respectable effort in the shape of Sherlock Holmes. This doesn’t look like the usual Ritchie source material, but the film displays all his usual traits. We get sharp dialogue, flashbacks, slow-motion and neck breaking camera angles. Ritchie really does make great use of the camera in this film. This is backed up by a smart script which, though at times is pure hokum, makes for an entertaining caper. Having said that, if you’re a Baker Street (ir)regular you’ll be pretty unimpressed with Ritchie’s take on Holmes. In terms of the acting Robert Downey Jr. plays the title role with Jude Law taking the part of Dr John Watson. Both roles are well played, with the two coming across as a bickering couple, albeit with an underlying and unspoken bond between them that one cannot cope without the other. Mark Strong seems to never give a bad performance and continues his run here providing menace as the possibly supernatural Lord Blackwood. Less successful are the female characters, which isn’t unusual for Ritchie’s seemingly male dominated worlds. Also missing are the comic touches that Ritchie has given us in the past with the film being a bit too much of a reimagining a la Bond and Batman, when a lighter touch at times would have given a greater package overall.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Like Holmes himself, rough round the edges, but enough nous to achieve a satisfying conclusion. Rating: 7/10.