Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes (2009)

I have a love/hate relationship with Guy Ritchie. Loved Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels since it was released 11 years ago but have since felt he has never come close to following up that walloping debut. With his Sam Raimi idea of essentially remaking Lock, Stock with Snatch yet failing miserably in both the director’s chair and in the story department, who knew that it would take Hollywood calling to finally get him back at the top of his game with Sherlock Holmes?

Over the years I’ve taken a lot of flack for not liking Snatch and in my own defense I have tried numerous times to re-watch and try to see what all the fuss is about. I have yet to be won over aside from the squeaking dog and Brad Pitt’s indecipherable accent. Things really went awry upon his marriage to Madonna when he gave us the likes of Swept Away and Revolver. Not even another outing with British fave Jason Statham could get Ritchie back in his element.

While I found RocknRolla to be a step in the right direction (and coincidentally it came after his divorce from what seems to have been a personal black hole of thoughts) it ultimately was no better than the two preceding films. Many people probably thought he was in no way the right choice for an updating of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s all too famous detective, but thankfully, with the help of a fantastic cast, Ritchie has managed to roll out a fantastic reinvention of London’s greatest detective in one of this winter’s most fun films, Sherlock Holmes.

It’s another dreary day in London, 1891, and Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.) has just caught up with black magic entrepreneur Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong). In the midst of an attempted sacrifice, Holmes and trusty right-hand man Dr. John Watson (Jude Law) burst onto the scene and save the day much to Inspector Lestrade’s (Eddie Marsan) dismay. Lestrade makes a quick complaint that Holmes is always getting ahead of the police, which only further amuses Holmes, of course.

Article Author: Cinenerd

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