sherlock holmes ( basil rathbone ) and professor moriarty ( lionel atwill ) engage in a battle of wit for control of a switz inventor new bomb sight creation . holmes want to safeguard it for the british while moriarty isn not above sell out to the nazi . while no doubt many fan will be disappoint to see holmes update to the 1940s war time set and this particular film prof light hearted fun which doesn not wallow in wartime propaganda a it might well have do . dennis hoey inspector lestrade and nigel bruce dr. watson do tend to steal the show a their character bumble method consistently provide delightful comic relief . the spar between holmes and moriraty be colorful and well think out to boot . atwill do well enough a moriarty even if he not as memorable a some others who play the role . while this provide nothing especially new or thrill for fan of the series and it be a wonderful escape from reality and somewhat appropriate for 1942 in my opinion and that mirror many movie serial adventure of the 1930s and 1940s but boast a more compact and less repetitive plot . and all this be do while still remain true to the basic spirit of sherlock holmes .