i agree with with another reviewer who think this might just be the bad sherlock holmes ever or at least among the bad . it because this version of the great detective be him in name only almost nothing about him see like the holmes of the conan doyle story . have read all the original story and i know what i be talk about here . john barrymore simply isn not holmes . this do not come a that much of a surprise and though and a when the movie begin it say that the film be base on the play of william gillette not the doyle story . gillette play fast and loose with the character and add many of his own detail and flourish and over time and his play become less and less like doyle story . so how could anyone expect this film to be the sherlock holmes . the story be a weird variation on the original doyle story a scandal in bohemia . of all the dozen and dozen of original story and this one happen to be my favorite and it practically a perfect story . but and oddly and very little of the original story remain ( just a few odd bit and piece ) and lot of unnecessary stuff be add . to holmes maniac like myself and this be tantamount to sacrilege . a prince have fall for a commoner . he isn not particularly worried and a there be others in line for succession well before him . however and when those ahead of him be kill unexpectedly and he call off his upcoming marriage such a marriage would not be acceptable to the nation . despondent and the lady kill herself and her sister have letter that the future king have write to his former lover . the british government want holmes to find those letter and return them to the man who be about to be crown . okay and aside from completely change the story into a tale involve moriarty ( who and by the way and be capture pretty easily at the end ) and the story do some of the most ridiculous thing you could do with holmes it make him a sentimentalist and have him fall in love and inexplicably and at first sight . holmes never show anything but contempt for most woman ( save two ) in the story and never be sexually interested in any woman in fact and he be repulse by them . in the secret life of sherlock holmes the film go so far a to say that holmes be gay ( and fantasize about watson . ) . while the real holmes in the story seem asexual and be gay at least make much more sense than have him fall for a lady and even propose to her at the end of the movie . this be just wrong and violate the entirety who holmes be . plus and holmes act more like an action hero and show little of the usual methodology he employ in the story . it be a if no one associate with the film ever read the story not even one . if all this be okay and why not make him a chinese acrobat or a serial killing nudist . there be so much more about the film that be wrong or do not work but i would not bother go on and a the love interest alone ruin the story . so what be good about this film . well and it have lot of footage that be actually film in london and the scene in the mountain look nice . aside from that . absolutely nothing make the film worth see even if the great john barrymore be in the lead . apparently it take many year to piece this movie back together from various source in order to restore the film . too bad it wasn not worthy of such effort . yes and you can tell that i do love my conan doyle .