Robert Downey Jr. has to be among one of the most entertaining actors out there right now. His story is excellent, he came onto the scene strong, faded into the background, fought a battle with addiction, and now he’s back, and we are all better for it. ‘Sherlock Holmes’ is the latest from Guy Ritchie, a director whose career started off strong (albeit a bit of a Tarantino clone from across the pond), but career took a nose dive with ‘Swept Away,’ and the unwatchable ‘Revolver.’ I’m pleased to say Ritchie crafter a fun reimagining of a classic character, and Downey fills the shoes extremely well.
‘Sherlock Holmes’ takes place in 1891, and opens with Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and Dr. Watson (Jude Law) stopping a human sacrifice by the evil Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong). They arrive in time, and Blackwood is sent to prison, awaiting the gallows.
Flash forward three months later, Holmes hasn’t had a new case since capturing Blackwood, and Watson is preparing to become engaged, a notion that does not settle well with Holmes. Blackwood is hanged, and pronounced dead. Of course, what would a movie be without the twist that sends us on an adventure? Holmes is called in, to investigate the possibility that Blackwood rose from the grave.
‘Sherlock Holmes’ is an important film for Guy Ritchie because it definitely shows the directors ability to make a film accessible to all audiences, and not overdo it with over-stylized editing and effects. Which, don’t get me wrong, because I really enjoyed his previous films, but I did feel that some of it was a bit overused.
The supporting cast is great, Jude Law is excellent as Watson, and Rachel McAdams appears as Holmes love interest, Irene Adler.
The only weaknesses are at times, some of the CG landscapes bothered me slightly, but other then that, the pacing was good, the story and fight sequences fun and extremely entertaining. Guy Ritchie has crafted his most entertaining film since Snatch, and its totally worth the rental.
