Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows

It seems that Sherlock Holmes never goes out of style or out of season. I posted on Facebook that I was on my way to the press screening for Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows, and was met with several friends telling me that a particular Holmes movie or mini-series was simply a must-see. And I’m sure they were all right: I find it hard to believe that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most cherished character will ever run out of ways in which to enthrall us.

Which is not to say that I think every Holmes is created equal, or that there haven’t been some bad ones. More and more, one realizes that each new Holmes is as much a reflection of its interpreter’s style and sensibility as he is Doyle’s original vision, perhaps more so. There’s nothing wrong with that. The current BBC incarnation is set in the modern world, which I have no problem with. Guy Ritchie’s film adaptations (the first one released in 2009) are not modern, but are certainly obsessed with technology. They are stylish, action-packed, and fall just short of resembling steampunk. In theory, I have no problem with any of that, either.

ROBERT DOWNEY JR. as Sherlock Holmes in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ action adventure mystery “SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.

Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes

But I’d be lying if I said I was wild about it. The new Ritchie project again stars Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Watson, and features Stephen Fry as Holmes’ brother Mycroft, Mad Men‘s Jared Harris as the villainous Moriarty, and Noomi Rapace as a gypsy girl who falls in with the wrong crowd. Rachel McAdams, the love interest from the first movie, appears in what’s basically a cameo.

This Holmes is pitch-perfect in its continuation of the first movie’s tropes—that is, it’s stylish and places Sherlock as a bit more of an action star/kung-fu warrior than a detective. The music, the cinematography, even the end credits motif are all the same. If you liked the first one, you’ll surely enjoy this one too; with that said, for all the familiarity, there are also many of the same old problems—and also some new ones.

JUDE LAW as Dr. James Watson in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ action adventure mystery “SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.

Jude Law as Watson

The plot of this movie involves a sort of cat-and-mouse game between Holmes and the dastardly Moriarty. Holmes knows that the evil professor is up to no good—that in fact, he is scheming something that could well mean the end of Western Civilization. He spends the movie trying to prove it, and Moriarty trying to stop him. Downey is still very good, very witty, and very charismatic as Holmes; Harris is equally compelling and perfectly menacing as the arch-villain. Their scenes together are riveting, and the movie ends with a literal cat-and-mouse game between them that is simply enthralling in its cleverness and its deft execution. It’s the best thing to come out of either movie.

But until that moment, the plot leaves something to be desired. The specifics of what Moriarty is up to are left for the film’s end, and before we come to it we have a drawn-out plot of Holmes and Watson befriending a gypsy girl and helping her seek out her long-lost brother. It’s closely related to the main plot, but somehow still feels like a tedious tangent, if only because it takes so long. Ritchie’s slow-motion action scenes of whizzing bullets and cannon fire test the viewer’s patience.

(L-r) ROBERT DOWNEY JR. as Sherlock Holmes, NOOMI RAPACE as Madam Simza Heron and JUDE LAW as Dr. James Watson in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ action adventure mystery “SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.

Noomi Rapace as Madam Simza Heron

Along the way, though, there are plenty of thrills that make the movie worthwhile. Watson gets married to Mary (Kelly Reilly) in a sweet scene, then the happy couple is ambushed on a train. Holmes shows up, of course, and the action that ensues is gripping even if it does strain credulity—and even if a slapstick scene that pokes fun at the long-speculated homosexual undertones in the Holmes universe might be a bit too silly or crass for some viewers. Meanwhile, Stephen Fry is largely wasted, though his first scene with the younger Holmes features an amusing round of one-upsmanship.

STEPHEN FRY as Mycroft Holmes in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ action adventure mystery “SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.

Stephen Fry as Mycroft Holmes

Ritchie’s visual flair, if a bit tedious at times, is mostly as sharp as it was last time, and the cast members seem to be delighted by the chance to work together once again. That goes a long way. Then again, this movie might strain believability even more than the last time. There are two separate occasions in the film in which a character seems to be dead, only to be miraculously and somewhat inexplicably revived. The ending, which I won’t spoil, ruins a moment of genuine feeling by turning it into the set-up of a joke, and ends with a poorly-explained plot twist that might leave some viewers, especially Holmes fans, feeling a little cheated.

But if the movie is too long and too underdeveloped in the plot department, it largely succeeds on the basis of its charisma and style. You’ll probably be bored here and there, but there are some great moments that make the whole thing worth sitting through.

Talk About It

Discussion starters

What do you think about Moriarty’s statement that violence and war are inevitable parts of the human condition—and that Holmes is not just battling him, but nature itself? Is this a biblical view?
Do you think Watson and Holmes have a healthy friendship, or not? How do you interpret Holmes’ feelings toward Watson and his new bride?
Do you think Holmes is really interested in justice, or just in demonstrating his own intellect?

The Family Corner

For parents to consider

Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows is rated PG-13 for action, violence, and drug material. There is, indeed, a lot of highly stylized—and often quite brutal—violence. There are the usual quips and mentions of Holmes’ drug habit, as well. In addition, the movie features some brief nudity—a man’s bare backside—and some suggestive imagery and double entendres, especially in one scene that jokes about the perceived homoerotic relationship between Watson and Holmes.