I was quite curious as to how the tandem of Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law would come out on screen as the trailer seemed quite funny. And surprisingly, the movie was humorously entertaining, and probably better than a lot of the movies that were shown in the past year. I really don’t know much about the real Sherlock Holmes, except that he’s a uniquely great detective with a doctor for a sidekick named Watson. And right now, I’m curious enough to want to read some of those short stories of his written by Doyle after watching this film.
The movie starts with an occult-sorcerer-serial-killer named Lord Blackwood being caught by the duo of Holmes and Watson. He is hung but not before scaring the life out of the prison and the entire town. Blackwood then mysteriously resurrects and continues with his killing spree spreading fear all around him. Holmes, befuddled yet unwilling to accept that the occurrences are supernatural in nature, goes on to find the clues only he is capable of unraveling. Add the challenge of figuring out what his past love Irene (played by Rachel McAdams) is in the picture for, makes the plot quite interesting and entertaining.
Robert Downey Jr. played Sherlock Holmes unbelievably well. His witty humor coupled with the exuberance of cunning he showed in his fight scenes were truly unique for a sleuth, as only an actor of his caliber could deliver. And for Watson, Jude Law was also as good. I never liked any of his movies but this one showed his true versatility. His demeanor while half unwilling to help Holmes but the other half totally willing, made the clash within himself hilariously funny. It’s possibly one of the best tandems on screen to date! Talk about best friends for life! This one takes the cake!
The movie was a fast-paced cat-and-mouse hunt and is riveting as well as funny in a lot of aspects. It was a tad bit over 2 hours but I sat there like a little kid enjoying what was quite a masterpiece of a movie. A very unique one that everyone who loves mysteries should definitely go see. I also liked how the movie ended as it closed the book on Lord Blackwood but opened an even more mysterious arch-enemy of Holmes in Professor Moriarty. And how is Irene connected to the mysterious professor?!
I don’t think there was a wittier and more entertaining movie from the past year, and what a difficult act to follow for whatever is to come in 2010. Great directing also by Guy Ritchie! I’m excited to see the second installment of this! Hope it’s very soon!
Personal Rating (out of 10): 8.6/10
IMDb User Rating (out of 10): 7.7/10
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong
Genre: Action, Adventure
Duration: 128 minutes
Links: Official Site, IMDB
