A few years ago the mere mention of the name Sherlock Holmes would have sent most people into a tedium-induced slumber, but director Guy Ritchie’s (Snatch) 2009 re-imagining of the Victorian icon made the movie-going public once again fall in love with ‘The World’s Greatest Detective’; by making his latest adventure, fun, funny, clever, action- filled, and undeniably brilliant; and he’s done it again with the latest offering, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.
Returning as the world’s most famous (and eccentric) super-sleuth, Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man) once again picks up the role of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, alongside his partner Doctor Watson (Jude Law, Enemy At The Gates), and begins A Game of Shadows on the trail of the first movie’s unseen villain, Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris, Mad Men); a man known as ‘The Napoleon of Crime’, who is in the midst of instigating a huge war in mainland Europe, for some unknown reason.
Needless to say Sherlock isn’t about to let a criminal genius get the better of him, or start a war (in that order), and does whatever he can to stop Moriarty in his tracks; including enlisting the services of his equally astute brother Mycroft Holmes (Stephen Fry, Blackadder), and a gypsy woman (Noomi Rapace, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo), to help him uncover the continent-spanning conspiracy, and get through all of his fights, shoot outs, mortar attacks, and various encounters with Moriarty’s nefarious employees, along the way to stopping a criminal who appears to be Holmes’ equal in every way possible (matching, or bettering, not only his physical abilities, but his intellectual capacity, perfectly).
Jared Harris was a great choice for the villain, and thanks to both the well written script, and his acting ability, it’s easy to believe he could match wits with the always funny and enjoyable Downey Jr. (who once again proves to be a fun and compelling watch), and that he could be every bit as sinister as he needs to be to earn the moniker ‘The Napoleon of Crime,’ though he’s not the only well placed newcomer, as even the often irksome Stephen Fry is a welcome addition to the cast; not having to struggle in the slightest, in order to play the immensely clever and amusing government official who assists Sherlock now and then, and isn’t dissimilar to the characters he’s portrayed in BBC’s Blackadder.
Noomi Rapace’s character does serve a somewhat useful purpose (by inadvertently leading the dynamic duo closer to Moriarty), though she’s underdeveloped, flat, dull, and basically just a dead weight the boys have to carry (due to both the writing, and Noomi’s bland acting), yet while Jude Law’s Watson is still every bit as pompous and whiny as he was in the first movie he’s vital to the story (in more ways than one), and somehow remains fun and easily watchable; as the chemistry between Jude and Downey is flawless, brilliant, and one of the bet things about the movie.
There’s a few old jokes that rear their head once again (killing the dog, the worrying nanny, “get that gun out of my face”, and Holmes’ disguises, to name a few) but like he rest of the film there’s also a whole lot more on offer, some brilliant one liners, and excellent new inclusions that’ll have you hooked from the get go.
Everything about A Game of Shadows is bigger than the first Sherlock Holmes movie; the bad guy isn’t simply trying to bring down a few London politicians but start a European-wide war, the boys go travelling around Europe, team-up with other people, and squabble like never before, the action is dialled up, larger, faster, longer, and more intense than ever before, the jokes are funnier, and all in all it’s a lot more clever and slick than the first film; meaning A Game of Shadows is brilliant, and far better than the first; largely thanks to its hugely impressive finale.
It’s true that Sherlock’s second outing sags a little in the beginning, and some fans of the original may be a little disheartened to start (believing overly lengthy action pieces have replaced the character, plot, and soul that made Sherlock’s first case so fun) but thankfully, while Guy Ritchie’s directing style does move way too close to his work on Snatch, and seem too rely way too heavily on an over-use of slow-motion to increase the tension (something which at several times becomes grating and leaves you thinking ‘get on with it’), the finale is so well executed, brilliantly acted, and well setup (the explanation is brilliant, and it’s a true joy to see all the clues you missed along the way suddenly brings everything into focus), you’ll forget all your earlier misgivings, and realise that Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is the finest outing The World’s Greatest Detective has ever had, masterful, clever, exciting, downright brilliant, and a movie everyone should see, and own (when it’s eventually released on Blu-ray).
