Movie: Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Robert Downey Jr Jude Law Rachel McAdams


Directed by Guy Ritchie


Screenplay by Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham, Simon Kinberg,



Synopsis:
In a dynamic new portrayal of Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous characters, "SHERLOCK HOLMES" sends Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson on their latest challenge. Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes will battle as never before to bring down a nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country.
The action-adventure mystery "SHERLOCK HOLMES" is helmed by acclaimed filmmaker Guy Ritchie, for Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures. Robert Downey Jr. Brings the legendary detective to life, and Jude Law stars as Holmes. Rachel McAdams stars as Irene Adler, the only woman ever to have bested Holmes and who has maintained a tempestuous relationship with the detective. Mark Strong stars as their mysterious new adversary, Blackwood. Kelly Reilly plays Watson’s love interest, Mary.


Hmmm. I looked for a review I agreed with and after reading almost a dozen I gave up. I really like Guy Ritchie's two other films-- Snatch (2000) and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998). Snatch is hard to get into bc of the accents. Not only are the accents "foreign" but they are "ghetto/slang". So you really have to tune in your ear to dissect the dialogue but once you get the hang of it it's really good. It's kinda like talking to me at times, lol. My accent can be pretty strong. As with other Ritchie films there is a good dose of slapping and fighting. If you liked those movies you'll like Sherlock Holmes. I have never read any of the novels so I don't have any complaints to any differences between the novel and film portrayals. The reviews I read seemed to basically take the movie to seriously. To me it's a good fun action film. The two fight scenes are a little too realistic for me which is par for the course with Ritchie. I just close my eyes during the rough stuff. I thought Downey and Law were a great pair as Holmes and Watkins. It was kinda like the odd couple. I liked all the casting as well as the story line. The issues I had with the movie I think were intentional. The movie lighting is very dark and I first thought the movie wasn't lit properly but then I realized it's bc of the period it is shot in. It's supposed to be dark and grainy and have a "unclean" feel. The other issue I realized about 30 minutes into the movie. I thought why are we sitting so close to the screen? I looked around and we were in our usual row in the middle of the theater in the middle seats. So I realized the movie was filmed very close in which was done to make the watcher have more of a sense of anxiety or uncomfortableness as well as bring the action flying in your face. So my two issues weren't really that big and were related to filming style not plot. I also thought Downey was great. If you like him in Iron Man, which I liked alot, than you'll like him as Holmes. I definitely recommend this movie and give it 4 out of 5 stars. If you go in expecting an intricate quiet mystery you'll be bummed so instead rent a copy of the classic Murder on the Orient Express. But if you go and see it with the mind set that you're seeing a good action film you'll enjoy it!


Also, two of the writers for this film previously wrote action/crime/thriller films: Invictus (2009), The Assassin (1990), Jumper, XMen: The Last Stand, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, XXX: State of the Union. It's not wonder that this film is full of action.

More on Sherlock Holmes from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes


Trailer for Sherlock Holmes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4K3aM5H5KM

Some other movies you'd like if you like Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Snatch
Fight Club
Pulp Fiction
The Usual Suspects
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
Sin City
Memento
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