Deduction & 'Ded-action'

Film review: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

The latest installment of the Guy Ritchie-directed Sherlock Holmes film series, A Game of Shadows, finds as much inspiration in the seedy, modern British crime films of Ritchie, the James Bond franchise and such contemporary classic buddy movie-teams as Newman/Redford and Gibson/Glover, as it does to the penned works of Sir Conan Doyle. In fact, while watching this second of Ritchie’s Holmes films, I was wondering what Sir Doyle would have made of this adaptation of his urbane, gentleman sleuth.

While the powers of deductive reasoning still play a major role, Ritchie has also turned Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) into a physical, roguish, action figure — replete with martial arts moves, and brandishing all sorts of close contact weapons and blades. As in the original books, Watson (Jude Law) is the ever-faithful sidekick and foil, utilizing his military background to provide able support to Holmes’ exploits and jibes.

Constantly bickering, with Holmes perpetually teasing Watson, there even seems to be a cheeky, almost suggestive aspect to the Ritchie interpretation of the Holmes-Watson relationship — as when Holmes asks Watson to lie beside him on the train compartment floor to avoid the line of gunfire, and when they waltz as partners at a castle function in order to “case” the assembled dignitaries. Like some old married couple, they play off each other to our delight — and this is placed in contrast to the Watson marriage that actually takes place in this movie, with the new bride being hurled off the train by Holmes. Or this could just be the narcissistic side to Holmes, threatened by Watson’s marriage, and having someone else become the most important person in Watson’s life.

With Moriarty (Jared Harris) as the main villain, we have someone who is Holmes’ intellectual equal, plus a Cambridge boxing ex-champion. His designs on world domination via cornering the arms and munitions market, plus his staging and exploiting incidents that create mistrust between European powers is all too familiar, and may be Ritchie’s own anti-war stance. Hence, while it’s a period, turn-of-the-century piece, there are a lot of very contemporary and “today” statements to be made via this film. Eccentricity and the peculiar manners that are unmistakably English are also given free rein in the film, especially with the character of Sherlock’s brother, Mycroft (author, comedian and actor Stephen Fry).

The brisk editing, the freeze-frame and flashback episodes also give the movie a contemporary feel, while servicing as the vehicle via which the powers of Holmes’ deductive reasoning are highlighted. And while there is an element of spoon-feeding the audience, this is done to great effect and adds to the overall atmosphere of the film. The attention to period details is likewise admirable, the dust and squalor of late 19th-century London and Paris are matched by their stately splendor.

While purists and Sherlockians may howl at this revisionist interpretation of Holmes, one can’t deny the energy and enjoyment the filmmakers have invested in this film. Making Sherlock relevant to today’s audience has never been so fun. While I’ll always consider Chaplin as my most enjoyable Downey performance, his Sherlock will also rank high.