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'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows' review

Released on Thursday, Dec 15 2011


The legend of Sherlock Holmes got a bracing shot in the arm thanks to director Guy Ritchie in 2009. If anything, this sequel takes that energy to even dizzier heights, but the downside is that any semblance of a plot becomes a blur.

Robert Downey Jr is left to do the explaining as the genius detective, but so much mumbling isn't really helpful. Curiously, though, this adds to his charm, and once you accept that Sherlock may be the only one who actually knows what the heck is going on, the sooner you can just sit back and enjoy this rough-and-tumble ride across 19th-century Europe.

Jude Law smirks from the sidelines as Watson, but it's not his impending marriage to Mary (Kelly Reilly) that threatens the 'bromance' as much as his utter uselessness. He's a sidekick who even bumbles without effect, having merely to react to Holmes's a) strokes of genius b) attacks of impropriety c) astonishing disguises (including Downey in drag).

For no good reason, he's also made a target in a global campaign of terror orchestrated by camp villain Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris looking like Graham Norton gone bad). In theory, the story should benefit from the inclusion of Holmes's greatest rival, except the script hasn't been properly thought through.

Moriarty represents anarchy, but the writers have taken this to heart, going off on tangents that mean the two great minds have little to do with each until the last act. In the meantime, Holmes and Watson pursue a gypsy fortune teller (Noomi Rapace, aka Swedish cinema's Girl With a Dragon Tattoo) who has links to the terrorist network.

This affords the opportunity for a wild shoot-out on a night-time train to Brighton and a chase across Le Olde Paris. Again, Ritchie employs the hyperbolic slow-mo in hand-to-hand combat to detail Holmes's strategy. It gives an exciting, fetishistic feel to the violence, but the self-destructive impulse - which makes Holmes more than a simple action hero in the original film (boxing without a licence) - is missing here.

Holmes seems more bent on torturing Watson than punishing himself, and that makes him a slightly less interesting character this time around. It isn't until the late stages, when Moriarty makes his presence known - at a mountaintop political summit - that Holmes throws caution (and himself) to the wind in dramatic style.

Stephen Fry brings his own manner of breezy eccentricity as Holmes's brother, even dropping his pants for a laugh, though he's never properly integrated into the story. Most of what unfolds is for pure effect, echoing Holmes's own philosophy of life ('to play the game for the game's sake') and yet, to gloss over the details of what makes a man tick is contrary to the game. Let your eyes be dazzled and your mind be numbed.

3 Star Rating

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