The main reason I ventured to see Sherlock Holmes, and its sequel Game of Shadows, was due to Robert Downey Jr. A man who once described himself: "A lot of my peer group think I'm an eccentric bisexual, like I may even have an ammonia-filled tentacle or something somewhere on my body. That's okay." I would do anything to be sucked by that tentacle (it's not what you think). Watch any of RDJ's films, and even if they are a crock of shit, they're instantly inexcusable due to his presence and undoubted superb performance. He even got away with blacking up in Tropic Thunder, a feat that 99% of us would never have the balls to even attempt. My favourite work of his is definitely Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, a hilariously scripted and unconventional neo-noir that really isn't talked about enough:
plus Val Kilmer plays a gay P.I.
Moving onto the film: Rob stars opposite Jude Law, whose role in the film is predominantly to make Sherlock look more ingenious, more handsome, and infinitely more suave. The complete opposite role that Stephen Fry (YEP STEPHEN FRY) portrays as Sherlock's older brother, Mycroft Holmes. From the moment Stephen walks in, he is a treat for the audience. He calls his younger sibling "Sherly" throughout, demeaning his intelligence at any chance he gets, and their relationship is probably the wittiest the public has seen this side of the millennia. As such, the film almost feels like a gentlemanly popularity contest between Fry and RDJ. It's an even battle, however Fry tips the odds in his favour with a full frontal a scene about halfway through the film.
mm quite..
The plot of this film is nothing special, "evil genius plans to take over the world through intelligent means whilst eliminating adversaries" sums it up in one awkward sentence. And it appears Holmes has finally met his match in Professor Moriarty, otherwise known as the "Napolean of Crime." A very fitting alias, as Moriarty hopes to become very rich from a World War he plans on starting vicariously. It's up to our dynamic trio to stop him, and Holmes must utilise all his wit (and-blending-into-furniture expertise) to conquer the professor.
no, not that guy.
I don't want to spoil any of the hilarity of the film, however sadly there is not much else to discuss - the plot follows similar a line to the prequel in terms of twists/climax. The most interesting aspect of Guy Ritchie's direction comes in the slow motion sections, during the sequences of high action. Bullets whizz by in real time and then suddenly the film slows down to about a tenth of its speed for a few seconds. A really impressive use of editing/camera that makes the action sequences feel different, and look fucking cool. Twinned with the sections of film that suppose the thought process of Holmes as he prepares to battle his adversaries, the camera zooms on objects as RDJ narrates how he will use them in the next scene. Overall, I think Ritchie should be praised for his work on an adaptation that doesn't allow too much flexibility of narrative.
Although Watson promises this will be his retirement case, the finale of the film suggests otherwise - I deduce that a witty conclusion to the trilogy will appear on screens sometime around the Summer of 2013.
hopefully with more hats
