The problems plaguing "Sherlock Holmes"
John Gregg
Issue date: 2/15/10 Section: Entertainment
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The story is clever even though it feels more involved than the mysteries Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote. Super detective Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) is brought onto the case when the sinister Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) rises from the dead after having been hung for committing gruesome murders.
Blackwood claims to have untold mystical forces at his command, which he will soon use to take control of the world. Of course, the villain's powers are based in reality, but only Holmes could possibly see through the veil of deception.
A master of deductive reasoning, Holmes considers Blackwood's stunt a test of his skills and sets out with reluctant Dr. Watson (Jude Law) to discover the truth.
Holmes slowly pieces the clues together in his head while bickering with Watson about the failing state of their offbeat partnership. These comedic but oddly suggestive arguments only cease when the two take time out to battle several of the evil lord's goons on the soot-covered streets of London.
Holmes also finds time to match wits with the equally clever but devious Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams).
On the surface, "Sherlock Holmes" has all the elements of modern action blockbuster. Unfortunately for Ritchie and the rest of the team, this is one of the biggest problems plaguing the movie.
Many people do not think "action hero" when they picture the Baker Street super sleuth, yet this incarnation of Holmes is a skilled fighter who goes toe to toe with bad guys.
But something is not quite right about these scenes. They are well choreographed and the London backgrounds are fantastic to look at, but the fighting fails to capture the atmosphere of Doyle's mysteries.
Happily, Downey does give his character enough brains to go with his newfound brawn. Holmes is always on the lookout for clues and always reading people. Unfortunately, he tends to read people a little too often, and his constant explanations of things become tiresome.
Sadly, the character Downey has brought forth does not actually feel like Sherlock Holmes but a bizarre, eccentric caricature of the detective archetype.
Nowhere in the original works is it mentioned that in addition to smoking a pipe, Holmes also digested an excessive amount of caffeine. Like the action sequences, this fast-talking, neurotic person is a little too far removed from Doyle's stories.