Elementary but splendidly droll in Sherlock Holmes, my dear Mr Ritchie

Double act: Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law in the film
10 April 2012

Gorblimey. Guy Ritchie’s larky go at Britain’s greatest detective really isn’t bad. We were expecting 1880s geezer mockney — lock, deerstalker and two smoking meerschaums. But the action-movie production values and
superficial irreverence of Ritchie’s film, which had its world premiere in London last night, cloak a deep affection for the character and his milieu.

This Sherlock Holmes is an erratic but hugely enjoyable slice of hokum. It captures the stink, the pomp and the inventive zeal of Victorian London. It pulls in characters and plot strands from many of Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories, draws on Victorian occultism and on conspiracy theories surrounding Jack the Ripper. And it has at its heart a jokey, variety-show double act: Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law as Holmes and Dr Watson.

Downey Jr’s shabby, stubbled Sherlock is, like Conan Doyle’s original, both brilliant and impossible. Rude, distracted, heedless of personal hygiene. A man who practises his martial-arts techniques in brutal prize fights. No wonder Law’s Watson wants to get out of their shared rooms in Baker Street and into the safe embrace of Kelly Reilly’s governess Mary. Sort of.

Ritchie is always good on male relationships and homoerotic undertones. Watson craves excitement, while the fragile Holmes needs a steady sidekick who can help him channel his intuitive powers. The two men bicker and borrow each other’s clothes. Reilly’s Mary, and lush-lipped Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler, the wily criminal adventuress Holmes adores, stop things getting too overtly gay.

The script feels a bit baggy but comes together surprisingly well at the end. At the start we see Holmes and Watson end the satanic murdering spree of Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong, exuding evil without trying) in a bone-crunching fight. When Blackwood rises from the grave, it kicks off all sorts of enjoyable nonsense about parliamentary conspiracy and a secret organisation called The Temple of the Four Orders. They’re clearly meant to be Masons and I wonder why Ritchie doesn’t say so. Some sinister Kaballah connection, maybe.

The film is Ritchie’s most coherent bit of storytelling. The tone is light but not facetious and the pace would be hectic if there weren’t so many humdrum lacunae. There are some splendid fight scenes, including one in which a half-built boat is launched over Downey Jr’s body into the reeking Thames. There’s a lovely evocation of Victorian London: gin joints and wharfs, horse-buggies trotting round Piccadilly Circus, Tower Bridge under construction. The music — fiddle, dulcimer, guitar — is potent.

Admittedly, the clipped, pastiche banter of Holmes and Watson often feels anachronistic. Downey Jr’s accent wanders, but his liquid eyes compel. The moustachioed Law enjoys himself. McAdams and Reilly look great, and keep their heads above the tide of testosterone. A sequel is clearly afoot. And I, for one, would kinda like to see it.

What other critics say

David Hayles, in The Times, gave it three stars and praised the film's "delicious scenes" and Ritchie's "peerless editing style".

He conceded it was "overlong" and "drags to a lacklustre showdown" but said Ritchie's version of Victorian London's famous detective deserved a sequel.

Marc Lee in the Daily Telegraph said Ritchie showed "verve, panache and, for him, relative restraint" in what was "undeniably a rollicking romp, an all-action blockbuster".

The only note of dissent was in The Guardian, where Catherine Shoard said the film was "high-end hack work" and reflected the director's "collapse of confidence in his ability to deliver anything."

There was also much praise for the film's two stars, Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law, who play super-sleuth Holmes and his side-kick Watson, with one critic lauding "a career best performance" from Law.

Sherlock Holmes opens in cinemas on boxing Day.

Sherlock Holmes

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in