REVIEW: Sherlock Holmes (2009)

From the opening action sequence where Sherlock Holmes and stalwart companion Dr. John Watson fight their way into a secret ceremony to stop the villainous Lord Blackwood from sacrificing a female victim at an alter it is apparent that producer Lionel Wigram’s SHERLOCK HOLMES is not your typical Holmes mystery movie. Through the direction of Guy Ritchie, Wigram has realized an impressive vision for a new and improved Holmes that remains the observant master of deduction, who is now a fully realized eccentric, martial arts-fighting superhero on par with a 19th century Batman. With colorful and quirky performances from Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, exceptional period production design from the Oscar-nominated Sarah Greenwood and detailed screen fighting from Richard Ryan that highlights the little known martial art of bartitsu, this is a first-rate action adventure movie that provides a near perfect example of how to redress an aging genre franchise for a new audience.

The occult theme of SHERLOCK HOLMES is rather dark yet balanced out by the lightly humorous banter between Holmes and Watson. In this way it could be favorably likened to Barry Levinson’s YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES. A rogue member of a British secret society named Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) is caught by Holmes in the act of trying to sacrifice a victim in ritualistic fashion. He’s captured, convicted and executed at the gallows but seemingly returns from the dead.

The reopening of this mystery comes at a good time for Holmes who is becoming consumed by his own eccentricities in the absence of a case to focus his mind. While sniffing out fresh clues in his pursuit of Blackwood, Holmes lures Watson away from his bride-to-be in what some audiences might interpret as a “bromance” or something more. All I see is a man who doesn’t want to lose the companionship of his only true friend. The two end up in a series of increasingly dangerous encounters with Blackwood’s associates as their trail leads them ever closer to Blackwood’s plot to assassinate members of Parliament and lead his order in reshaping the future of the world.

Meanwhile, a shadowy figure who lurks on the fringes of this case has hired former female acquaintance Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) to ensure that Holmes tracks down Blackwood but for another purpose. What isn’t a surprise is that this mystery person turns out to be Holmes’ arch-nemesis Professor Moriarty. It can only be surmised that Moriarty will step out from the shadows to engage in a duel of wits and likely martial arts with Holmes in a sequel.

For some time leading up to its release, SHERLOCK HOLMES had purists concerned about the direction that this film would lead the world’s most famous literary detective who has been adapted to screen nearly 200 times. Purists will see their fears fully realized. Gone is the gentlemanly, reserved poise of Basil Rathbone and the acerbic richness of Jeremy Brett. Downey’s Holmes is an immature social misfit, a manic depressive, unkempt, and prone to engage in rash behavior exhibited by his willingness to run headlong into explosive danger with fists at the ready. The deductive reasoning and razor-sharp observational skills remain intact but under Ritchie’s fast-paced direction we learn little of what drives this Holmes apart from his complete dysfunctional state outside of solving crime. This depiction may not sit well with diehard fans of previous film and TV adaptations but it is more than sufficient for Wigram’s vision of Holmes as a crime-fighting action hero. It can also be argued that this version of Holmes is still faithful to the original vision as presented in the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, although there should be little dispute what portions of that vision this film chooses to focus on.

The screen fighting in SHERLOCK HOLMES is brilliant. Some genius, or geniuses, came up with the idea to bring the audience into Holmes’ mind as he approaches a physical encounter. On two occasions we get to see in vivid detail how Holmes applies his brilliant mind to overcoming an adversary. His attack is first laid out in slow motion while Holmes describes exactly where and how he intends to strike and why. This follows with a real-time version. Not only does this technique reveal how a man with a brilliant, analytical mind approaches fighting but it also allows the viewer to understand and appreciate the action more thoroughly. It’s like a visualization of how an author might describe a fight sequence. The best screen fighting always brings the audience into the action by explaining some aspect of it. In great martial arts movies, we would see a protagonist training in a particular style or technique and later use it against his opponents. This is the same equivalent and it’s extremely rare to see in mainstream Hollywood productions. It is the single best reinterpretation of a fight sequence in Hollywood since THE MATRIX.

In addition to these fights, Holmes briefly gets into a kung fu-style battle with a Chinese thug, brawls with a hulking adversary twice in lightly comic fashion and duels with Blackwood on the partly constructed Tower Bridge in London. In addition to open-hand fighting, Holmes also wields a cane or stick, sometimes two of them, and a sword. There is literary evidence to support Holmes’ mastery of all of these fighting techniques and weapons.

Downey is terrific in what could be considered his first martial arts fighting performance. In addition to being in excellent shape, he has a background in Wing Chun kung fu and it shows in his efficient, compact strikes and stances. His instructor, Eric Oram was a consultant on the film and joined forces with Richard Ryan to use Wing Chun as a basis for the film’s fighting while incorporating elements of the British martial art known as bartitsu. This includes cane fighting and grappling elements. Despite this, historical bartitsu is not accurately depicted in any great measure. Rather, a variety of styles and creative elements are brought together to create movie fighting magic.

The pacing of SHERLOCK HOLMES is at times a little too rushed. It has the feel of a summer popcorn flick, which is typical brainless and strung together by a series of action or comedic set pieces. I expect a little more from a Sherlock Holmes yarn but I suppose I have to remember that this is a Hollywood reinvention for the Twitter generation. In addition, while Downey’s performance is thoroughly enjoyable he doesn’t fit the image of Sherlock Holmes, at least as I have imagined from reading some of Doyle’s books and watching past screen adaptations. It’s partly Downey’s facial features, mock accent and an underlying lack of British-ness that’s hard to pinpoint. He looks like an American trying to be British. Yet seeing how there have long been British actors like Christian Bale acting American I suppose it’s fair to drop an American into the role of one of the most iconic British heroes and not expect miracles. Downey is still an excellent actor with the rare ability to charismatically juggle action, humor and drama with equal expertise and his interpretation of Holmes, while perhaps not the most authentic, is very enjoyable.

SHERLOCK HOLMES was clearly designed to be a broad action-comedy rollercoaster ride hinging on stylized action sequences and a charismatic lead performance from Robert Downey Jr. and as such it is a whopping success. The film captures the same free-wheeling, adventurous excitement of the INDIANA JONES and PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN films without losing touch with its own mystery roots. Screen fighting fans should appreciate the Wing Chung and bartitisu grounding that supports excellent fight sequences that are well balanced with the rest of the film’s mystery and comedy elements. The film ends with a tidy set up for a sequel pitting Holmes against Moriarty in what will expectantly be another rollicking action adventure through Victorian England.