Sherlock Holmes returns with a bang

Quincy Stanford, Journalism Class
February 6, 2012
Filed under Entertainment

Two years ago, Guy Richie, a British director, was entrusted with the role of bringing to life the beloved and mysterious character of Sherlock Holmes.

Holmes is presented in a new way in Richie’s two films. He is portrayed as more of a spontaneous man, rather than the calculating detective with the tobacco pipe and magnifying glass.

Of course, this could be the effect of a combination of Richie’s style and the style of the actor playing Holmes, Robert Downey Junior.

In the recent film Sherlock Holmes II: Game of Shadows, Holmes is swapping humorous remarks almost as much as he’s swapping disguises. And to top it all off, his witty and slightly insane character is matched by his intelligent sidekick Doctor Watson, portrayed by Jude Law.

Downey and Law complement each other flawlessly, which is good because if there is an absence of action on screen, you can bet Watson and Holmes were bickering.

Staying true to the first movie, the plotline of Holmes consisted of long sequences of action, hard to follow thought processes, and odd things happening for no real reason. Regardless, it’s easy to say that the cast and crew really know how to take shot at something with full force.

The movie leaves one saying one of two things, either “I think that was a good movie,” or “Where did the last 128 minutes of my life go?” I think it’s safe to say that Holmes is one of the most difficult movies to recount to a friend.

What I do remember consists of Holmes forgetting to plan Watson’s bachelor party. Some rather large men trying to kill a random gypsy card reader (Noomi Rapace) whose brother is in the group working with Holmes’s nemesis, Moriarty (Jared Harris).

Harris’s portrayal of his own character provides a slightly venomous contrast to Holmes’s own intelligence.

The top scene of the movie is the one that stayed closest to the novels. The scene is classic and well known among the readers of the Holmes series. It consists of a confrontation between Moriarty and Holmes at the top of a large waterfall in the Swiss Alps.

To say the least, the scene was incredible, and even better was the build-up to the moment. Ritchie executed it perfectly.

In the future it’s possible Ritchie will make a third installment to the Holmes story, and in that case he’s going to need to work hard to top his last movie, as it was nothing less than brilliant.