At the Movies: Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Overall: 8

I was astonished by exactly how much I enjoyed this movie. It really is a genuinely fun story. Downey Jr.'s Holmes is refreshingly heterodox - and frequently quite funny - and Law's Watson is a strong character in his own right. I can't wait to see the sequel!

Plot Synopsis:

The movie opens in media res: Holmes and Watson are fighting their way into a palatial building in order to apprehend serial killer and occultist Lord Blackwood before Blackwood successfully commits another ritualistic murder. With a few expert moves, Holmes ultimately neutralizes Blackwood before the well meaning but somewhat bumbling Inspector Lestrade arrives with his force. The newspapers breathlessly announce Holmes' triumph.

Three months later, we find Holmes holed up in his rooms at 221B Baker Street. He hasn't had an interesting case for months and has been spending this idle time making a general nuisance of himself: shooting his pistol indoors, performing questionable experiments on the dog, etc. In addition to grappling with his unrelenting boredom, Holmes is also none too pleased that Dr. Watson has found himself a woman and intends to leave Baker Street to set up housekeeping; indeed, when Dr. Watson invites Holmes to dinner with the girl in question - Mary Morstan - Holmes makes a general ass of himself and ends up dining alone.

Meanwhile, as Lord Blackwood's hanging approaches, Blackwood uses his mojo to frighten the neighboring prisoners and several of the prison guards and demands that he be permitted to speak to Holmes in person. When Holmes and Blackwood finally meet, Blackwood warns Holmes that three more people are slated to die after Blackwood's execution is carried out. Holmes, who puts no stock in the occult, basically thinks this is absolute piffle - but sure enough, after Blackwood is hanged and officially declared dead by Dr. Watson himself, a graveyard attendant witnesses Blackwood's tomb cracking open and Blackwood himself walking through the graveyard.

Concurrently, Holmes has been approached by old flame Irene Adler - who, by the way, is the only criminal who has managed to outwit the master detective. Adler offers to pay Holmes a tidy sum to track down a missing midget by the name of Reardon. Holmes attempts to ascertain the identity of Adler's employer, but can only deduce from the chalk on his cloak that the mystery man is a professor. When Holmes is summoned by the police to investigate Lord Blackwood's apparent resurrection, Holmes finds Adler's missing midget in Blackwood's coffin.

Holmes and Watson use Reardon's pocket watch to locate Reardon's abode, where Holmes finds the remains of several interesting experiments. Just then, three thugs - presumably Blackwood's minions - arrive to destroy the evidence. A pitched tussle erupts. Holmes and Watson escape, but they are subsequently arrested by the police for the resultant property damage. Morstan bails out Dr. Watson in short order, but Holmes is left to cool his heels in the clink. (Heh.)

Eventually, members of the Temple of the Four Orders - a secret society that has dabbled in the occult - fetch Holmes from lock-up. The order's leaders - one of whom is Blackwood's father - inform Holmes that Blackwood was himself a member of their society, and they offer Holmes a reward to put a stop to Blackwood's plans. Holmes declines the offer, but he agrees to continue his investigation. Later, Blackwood murders his father and one other member of the Temple of the Four Orders via seemingly magical means. Blackwood takes control of the secret society and prepares to launch a coup in the hopes that England can recapture her American colonies. He also orders the Home Secretary, himself a member of the order, to put out a warrant for Holmes' arrest.

Holmes and Watson follow the clues to a slaughterhouse, where they rescue Adler from being sliced and diced. Blackwood, meanwhile, taunts his pursuers from a concealed location. Watson attempts to capture Blackwood, but he runs into a trip wire, setting off a massive explosion. Holmes and Adler escape the conflagration, but Watson is seriously injured.

When Holmes learns that he is now wanted by the police (thanks to Blackwood's machinations), he goes into hiding. He poses as a physician to check up on his fallen friend, then locks himself up in a room and goes trippin', so to speak. Delving into the practices and beliefs of the Temple of the Four Orders, Holmes at last notices a pattern in the three recent murders - and deduces that Blackwood will next hit the English Parliament!

Holmes then allows Lestrade to capture him and bring him to the Home Secretary. While in the clutches of the Secretary, Holmes learns that Blackwood intends to wipe out the entire House of Lords save those Lords who are loyal to the order. Holmes shuts the Secretary's chimney and uses the resultant smoke screen to escape. After diving into the river below, Holmes is rescued by Adler and a somewhat recovered Watson. The three then proceed to the sewers below Parliament, where they find a mechanical device that is designed to release a cyanide derivative into the Parliament chambers when a remote control signal is received. Holmes and Watson fight off Blackwood's associates while Adler disconnects the cyanide cylinders from the machine.

Adler flees with both Holmes and Blackwood in pursuit. All three end up at the top of the unfinished Tower Bridge. Blackwood manages to knock Adler off the beams, and she lands on a lower platform. Holmes and Blackwood then fight, and Holmes eventually gets the upper hand. As Blackwood dangles over the Thames, Holmes deconstructs Blackwood's sorcery, revealing it all to be the product of science and sleight of hand. Blackwood then falls and is hanged by the chains on the bridge.

At the end of the movie, we learn that Adler was working for Professor Moriarty - and that Moriarty stole Blackwood's remote control device while Adler and Holmes were occupied battling Blackwood on the bridge. In the final frame, Holmes prepares to pursue Moriarty himself.

Writing: 8

This script is solidly entertaining fare. The plot is engrossing, though somewhat convoluted, and the humor is pretty clever. The relationship between Holmes and Watson as depicted here is especially delightful. Holmes' interference in Watson's love life is hysterical, as is Watson's inability to abandon his troublesome old friend. And when Watson is injured, Holmes' concern for his friend is surprisingly poignant.

While the story does not cleave to the source canon entirely - it is a little more action-oriented and a little less cerebral than the original stories - the argument can and has been made that the screenplay writers at least kept Doyle's stories in mind while crafting their update. Some examples:

1) The disorder of Holmes' room is entirely canonical. As Watson notes in an early story:

... He had a horror of destroying documents...Thus month after month his papers accumulated, until every corner of the room was stacked with bundles of manuscript which were on no account to be burned, and which could not be put away save by their owner.

2) Holmes' restlessness when not occupied with an intricate case is also supported by the text. In The Sign of Four, Holmes can be found complaining about the dreariness of mundane existence and stating that he craves excitement and intellectual stimulation.

3) Doyle's Holmes is also a relentless rationalist and is consequently somewhat unaware of his impact on the feelings of others. Before Watson is introduced to Holmes in A Study in Scarlet, he is warned that Holmes' scientific approach to life approaches cold-bloodedness.

4) Doyle's Holmes is described as an expert in boxing, fencing, and martial arts. Canonical Holmes is also well acquainted with London's underworld.

5) Doyle's stories are also not entirely devoid of action sequences. As I recall, there is definitely a chase on the river in The Sign of Four.

I could go on. Suffice it to say that this version of Holmes is a little more accurate than traditionalists accustomed to the cozy older versions are willing to admit. I do suspect that, along the way, the writers were influenced by David Shore's modern-day Holmes, Dr. Gregory House, but I like House, so I certainly don't mind that bit of cross-pollination.

Acting: 8

I don't really understand the critics who claim that Robert Downey Jr. is "no Holmes." I suppose if you're wedded to a vision of Holmes as a buttoned-up English gent, such a critique may seem sensible. Close reading of the canon, however, reveals that Holmes is nothing of the sort. When you scrape away the Victorian veneer of respectability, Holmes is revealed to be a pretty scrappy fellow - and Downey Jr. fits that Holmes quite neatly.

I was also utterly charmed by Jude Law's Watson. In the past, Watson has been portrayed as a bit of a bumbler, but here, Law restores Watson's canonical competence. It has been reported that Law actually researched the canon to punch up his dialogue - and that extra work certainly shows in the final product.

Production Values: 9

Any fan of steampunk should adore the style of this movie. The color palate, the costumes, the settings, the gizmos - united, all of these elements form a sleek, attractive whole. Particularly gorgeous is the sequence on the unfinished Tower Bridge - and by the way, every viewer should stay through the closing credits, as they too are fantastic.

Message: 7

This is not an especially message-heavy picture; as noted above, the emphasis is on the action. I am, however, quite pleased with how this movie deconstructs the occult. These days, as organized religions have declined in influence in certain elite circles, a lot of superstition has rushed in to fill the void. Notice, for example, how much attention psychics and ghost hunters have been getting of late. This movie makes clear that we should approach such fads with a healthy dose of skepticism, as many of these fads' proponents are charlatans gifted in performing magic tricks.