Sherlock Holmes is a loud, fast action movie dressed up as a detective story. Guy Ritchie directs Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law as the famous duo, and the film spends more time fighting than thinking. It wants to be a reinvention of the character, but it mostly ends up being a summer blockbuster with a deerstalker hat.
The setup is simple. Dr. John Watson (Law) is engaged to Mary Morstan (Kelly Reilly), and he hires Holmes (Downey Jr.) to look into strange messages sent to her. That leads them to Professor James Moriarty (Mark Strong), who runs a criminal empire. Holmes is chasing a map that points to treasure, while Moriarty is trying to get his hands on the same thing. The film is based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories, but it takes huge liberties with the source material.
Trailer, via Warner Bros..
Downey Jr. and Law Carry the Weight
Robert Downey Jr. plays Holmes as a man of quick wit and quicker fists. He is charming, arrogant, and completely committed to the role. Jude Law is the steady presence opposite him, playing Watson as a loyal friend who can barely keep up with Holmes’s mad schemes. The chemistry between the two actors is the reason the film works at all.
Strong also deserves credit. He plays Moriarty as a cold, calculating villain who knows exactly what he is doing. His scenes are tense, and he gives the film its best performances outside the lead pair.
Ritchie’s Style Runs Away With Itself
Guy Ritchie directs with a kinetic energy that fits the action sequences well, but it does not serve the story. The camera spins, the editing cuts fast, and the fights are overlong. By the time the final act arrives, the pacing has become exhausting. The film is almost three hours long, and it feels like it.
The action set pieces are the highlight. A fight at the Tower of London is a standout, with Holmes swinging on ropes and firing a pistol at the same time. Another scene has Holmes racing through a burning building, dodging falling debris. These moments are thrilling, but they are also silly. They are fun, but they are not the kind of thing that makes a great Sherlock Holmes movie.
The Plot Doesn’t Hold Together
The problem is that the plot does not hold together. The map, the treasure, and Moriarty’s scheme are connected only loosely. There is a reason behind everything, but the film never explains it clearly enough. Characters speak in riddles and throw out clues that the audience is supposed to connect, but the connections are never made explicit.
The film also adds a romantic subplot involving Mary Morstan that feels tacked on. It exists to give Watson something to lose, but it never goes anywhere. The film is more interested in showing Holmes and Watson fighting than in exploring their relationship.
A Good Time, Not a Great One
Sherlock Holmes is a good time at the movies. It is entertaining, it is funny in places, and it has some great action sequences. But it is not a great Sherlock Holmes movie. It is too loud, too fast, and too willing to abandon the source material in favor of spectacle.
The film is at its best when it lets Downey Jr. and Law play off each other. It is at its worst when it tries to be something it is not. Ritchie’s style is a double-edged sword. It makes the action exciting, but it makes the drama feel hollow.
The film also has a score that tries to be moody and mysterious but often just sounds like a generic thriller soundtrack. The music is forgettable, which is a shame because the film needed something memorable to anchor its tone.
| Scene | Length |
|---|---|
| Tower of London fight | 8 minutes |
| Burning building chase | 7 minutes |
| Final showdown with Moriarty | 10 minutes |
The film’s biggest flaw is that it never commits to what it wants to be. It wants to be a classic detective story, but it keeps cutting to action sequences. It wants to be a character study, but it keeps cutting to explosions. It is a film that is always moving forward, but it never stops to think about why it is moving.
What Works, What Doesn’t
The things that work in Sherlock Holmes are the performances, the action, and the visual style. The things that don’t work are the plot, the pacing, and the willingness to abandon the source material. The film is a mixed bag, and it is one that leaves the audience wanting more of the former and less of the latter.
The film’s ending is rushed. Moriarty is defeated, but the resolution is shallow. The film does not give the audience a sense of closure. It just stops, with Holmes and Watson walking away, leaving the audience wondering what comes next.
Sherlock Holmes is a film that is better than its reputation suggests, but it is still a film that falls short. It is a good movie, but it is not a great one. It is worth seeing for the action and the performances, but it is not worth holding up as a great adaptation of the source material.
The film’s score is 5.7 out of 10.
