Saturday, December 26, 2009

12-26-09: Sherlock Holmes

Yesterday I went with members of my family to see Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law, and directed by Guy Ritchie.

I've been an avid fan of Sherlock Holmes since childhood, though I will admit I haven't read many (or more than one) of the original short stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. But I have been watching the British television series starring Jeremy Brett. I think the character himself is something to marvel. As much of a genius as Holmes is, he is deeply flawed, even admitting to recreational use of cocaine to stimulate his mind between cases.

The film appeared to be more of an action-movie approach, which always generates serious reservations for any "die hard fans" or pretty much any one familiar with the story or who read the book(s). But it had Robert Downey, Jr. in it, and I loved him in Tropic Thunder and Iron Man, so I gave it a shot.

I was pleased with the outcome. It's not perfect, but I didn't find many flaws in it whatsoever. I'll have to re-examine the story to try to remember some details about certain characters, but overall, I was quite entertained. It is still a mystery, which is refreshing, but has quite a bit of action. Some of the scenes are very cleverly done, and the acting was great. Downey, Jr. was superb, even with the fake British accent, and Jude Law did a great job as Dr. Watson. I'm not sure how well a sequel would go (they left it wide open), but I'd be up for it. Maybe I'll see how Iron Man 2 ends up, first, though.

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