Sherlock Holmes, It's Elementary Watson...and Great!

Much of the characterization comes from Jude Law’s understated, but still ubiquitous Dr. Watson. This is one of the better Watson characters. Law plays Watson as very much the wise docto,r but with an underlying ability for violence only slightly less accessible than the often annoying Holmes. Law’s Watson seems more an equal to Holmes than the bumbling, but brilliant, boob as so often is the case. Peter Cushing’s Holmes, with Andre Morell as the sometimes foolish Watson in The Hound of the Baskervilles, for example: Watson was a lovable chubby goof. Good for the 50s, not so good for the 2000s.

One of my great concerns was the addition of Rachel McAdams as Holmes’ foil, Irene Adler. McAdams seems rather young and inexperienced for the master thief she is supposed to be and seems not quite ready to be the seductive temptress to Downey’s battered Holmes. Perhaps a little more back story would have helped, like the character Marion in Raiders of the Lost Ark. We know quite a bit about Marion’s history with Indiana Jones and, with her rough past, Karen Allen seems to pull off the tough, but cute Marion brilliantly and, more important, believably. McAdams seems a little too cute and innocent for Holmes.

The story in Holmes is typical: a criminal mastermind, Lord Blackwood (adequately played by Mark Strong), manages to convince the public that he is also a sorcerer with the power to resurrect himself after a hanging. Blackwood, a prominent member of a secret society, begins a killing spree that only Holmes, the ultimate deductive genius, is able to see through. Holmes’ unique talents and observational skills lead him to Blackwood and resolving the case, but the plot is secondary in the film. It’s the story elements that make Sherlock Holmes an excellent film.

The interaction between Holmes and Watson, the fight scenes, action and even Holmes’ disregard for personal hygiene and human contact are all superlative and, with the exception of being more violent, Sherlock Holmes maintains the true character of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s creation, but the villains are a little weak. Lord Blackwood never captures the attention like mysterious Professor Moriarity, a shadowy figure in this Sherlock Holmes film, but definitely a good prospect for the, sure to follow, sequel. 

Lastly, the buddy element between Downey Jr. and Law, reminiscent of so many of the great old films (The Talk of the Town and The Front Page) is sterling. Look to a long partnership for Downey Jr. and Law, a match made in Hollywood Heaven.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5