Sherlock Holmes

(2009) ★★

Sky Movies Showcase: Monday 27 July, 1.50pm and 8pm

Robert Downey Jr is the great man in a Sherlock Holmes suited and booted for the lads. The logical continuation of The Pyramid of Fear as perceived by modern Hollywood. This is a Guy Ritchie movie. It doesn’t dwell on the past. It’s Baker Street… just not as we know it. And it certainly isn’t Conan Doyle. It’s warmed over Dennis Wheatley. Downey’s Holmes is a clever-dick with indistinct diction and ninja-kicking agility. He completely lacks the clinical intelligence – the solitary arrogance – of the great screen Sherlocks: Rathbone and Cushing, Robert Stephens and Jeremy Brett, Cumberbatch in a pinch. Geraldine James as Mrs Hudson and Eddie Marsan as Inspector Lestrade comfortably fit their roles. Jude Law’s good, too. He’s just no one’s idea of Dr John Watson. “Nut him!” says Law in a comic book romp that relies on the big bang theory – blow everything up, in slow motion. It doesn’t look cheap. Just way too cheerful. A huge box office hit so a sequel was inevitable. Surprisingly, Game of Shadows turned out to be a marked improvement.

Certificate: 12

Duration: 121min

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