Guy Ritchie has essentially been making the same film since Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), his feature film debut. With the exception of his romantic comedy outing (Swept Away, which was awarded the 2002 Golden Raspberry for Worst Film), his films have been very similar to one another. Ritchie’s directorial style is characterized by quick cuts, complex plots, humor, and lots of action. When you see Guy Ritchie’s name attached to a movie you know, more or less, what to expect.
That said, when I heard he was directing Sherlock Holmes and that Robert Downey Jr. was to star I was apprehensive. I usually enjoy Ritchie’s films and I’m a big fan of Robert Downey Jr.’s, but I wasn’t sure they were the right people to bring the brilliant detective to the big screen. In the novels and short stories, Holmes is a skilled combatant, but rarely employs his knowledge of self-defense. He carries a revolver, but rarely finds himself using it. He doesn’t seem like the kind of character that would appear in a Guy Ritchie film or the sort of role Robert Downey Jr. would be recommended for. However, that was all before I had seen the film.
While some of my worries were well placed, the film actually did a much better job of translating Sherlock Holmes into an action movie than I thought it might. The characters of Holmes and his assistant Dr. Watson (played by Jude Law) are presented as over-the-top, action-hero versions of themselves, but they work. The relationship between the two is always entertaining to watch as Jude Law’s Watson struggles to keep his temper with his genius, but childish companion.
Certain aspects of Holmes’ character are kept intact quite well. I was particularly pleased with the way the detective’s signature method of deduction is handled. Holmes deduces a shady character to be a professor, citing the chalk dust he spotted on his lapel and a quick shot of the white powder on the apparent professor’s jacket is shown in accompaniment. You quickly make the mental association; the detective makes his point and comes off sharp as a tack.
All in all the film can be described in one word; entertaining. Gripping action sequences and grand set pieces (the film climaxes atop Tower Bridge in the middle of its construction), it’s fun from start to finish. You’re bound to find yourself on the edge of your seat more than once.