Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Ok, look, I was wrong. If you want to read me eat serious crow, check this out first. That is an editorial I did a few months ago where I revealed the reasons that I was dreading Sherlock Holmes. I’m not going to weigh this down with responding to myself, but I will say that one of my biggest problems, the inclusion of Irene Adler, was not nearly as strained as I was sure if would be. Also a plus is that the movie is not much like the trailer. Sherlock Holmes slows down in places and has surprisingly in-depth character development, especially between the two leads. The trailer made it look like a goofy action fest.

Starring Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law
Directed by Guy Ritchie
Warner Bros. Pictures

Robert Downey, Jr. (RDJ) takes the case as the most recent and by far the most famous person* to ever pick-up the pipe and tobacco stuffed slipper. RDJ seemed like a strange choice to play Holmes. After all, RDJ is from New York and Holmes is thought to be a minor noble in the British aristocracy. Downey, however, is a meticulous actor and his British accent is convincing if generic. Anyway, Christian Bale is from Wales with English parents, so if the goddamn Batman can be Welsh, then I guess Sherlock Holmes can be American.

*Charleton Heston & Michael Caine would be next on the list. Heston in 1991, well past his prime.

Jude Law is excellent as Dr. John Watson. Law plays Watson as tough, canny, loyal, a bit of a rogue, and continues the tradition of some of the better Holmes adaptations in making Watson a partner and confidant instead of a witless lackey as he is often portrayed.

Guy Ritchie allowed himself a more subdued approach to Sherlock Holmes than what is displayed in his earlier work. It’s a refreshing change because Ritchie’s style up through RocknRolla was growing old and over-used — the hyper-stylistic approach of a low-budget director. Sherlock Holmes is at its least interesting during the plentiful fight scenes. The action is a little too fast paced and modern in most respects, although a few of the individual scenes work well.

The movie shines in several other places, however. The set pieces are almost uniformly gorgeous. Wide, sweeping shots of cargo traffic on the Thames and birds-eye views of soot-stained and massive London help make the period authentic. The closer shots of the cobbled streets lined with hansom cabs, filth, tradesmen, derelicts, docks, factories, and danger are crafted in slightly impressionistic but enchanting detail. The cinematography does a nice job of showing scope and of re-enforcing the idea of Victorian era London. I could have used more interior shots of 221B Baker Street, but that is the Holmes geek in me that would be looking for little nods to the Canon works.

The plot of the movie is simple: Holmes and Watson help track down a serial murderer who kills his victims in a ritual sacrifice. The killer ends up being Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong). Blackwood is heavily tied to the occult. When he is sentenced to death, Blackwood warns Holmes that he will rise again, kill thrice more, and Holmes will be able to do nothing about it. Shortly after, Blackwood is hanged.

There is also a strong secondary plot. In it Watson is preparing to leave the Baker Street lodgings of which he shares with Holmes in favor of his own place where he hopes he will be joined by his soon-to-be fiancée, Mary Morstan* (Kelly Reilly). RDJ’s Holmes is a bit loquacious and obvious, if not exact, in his feelings about his friend Watson. Holmes will not come out and say that he will miss the doctor, but passively attacks the idea of marriage and even the character of Mary Morstan directly. This antagonistic and jealous side of Holmes leads to some tension between the two men. It is, however, much to the praise of both Law’s Watson and Downey’s Holmes that this side plot never drags the film down. Although Holmes’ lack of acceptance of Watson’s decision causes friction, the two characters are able to shake off the more distasteful aspects as one would think true great friends could. The subtly of that character interaction is a real strength of Sherlock Holmes. Holmes and Watson, RDJ and Law, have chemistry where one can believe that they are close friends. This is very fitting for Holmes and Watson are #4 on my pop culture bromance list.

*Sherlockians may dislike the complete re-writing of the Morstan character. In the original works, Morstan was a client of Holmes’ in The Sign of Four. Therefore Holmes would know her quite well instead of having refused to be introduced as is the case in the movie. It’s relatively harmless as a change, though, because Doyle himself was often vague or even contradictory with regard to the origin of Watson’s wife; or even if he was married or how many times.

Holmes is not overly surprised when it does appear that Lord Blackwood comes back from the dead. And then there are the series of murders as Blackwood predicted. It’s up to Holmes to discover if against all his beliefs that he is battling a supernatural force; or if even black magic will fall prey to the detective’s deductive reasoning.

I’m surprised by the vigor in which some folks attack the plot of Sherlock Holmes as being too sensational. After all, the most famous (if not my favorite) Holmes tale, The Hound of the Baskervilles is ostensibly about a ghostly dog bent on revenge; and in The Devil’s Foot folks believe Holmes is battling death as produced by a physical incarnation of Fright. I find the plot of this film to be oddly familiar. It seems to be similar to some elements in Murder by Decree, as well as Mark Frost’s novel starring Arthur Conan Doyle called The List of Seven.

The corps of actors in Sherlock Holmes must be one of the best in which Ritchie has ever worked. Besides Law and Downey, Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan) and Constable Clark (William Houston) are standouts as step-behind flatfoots. One part lacking punch, however, is Irene Adler (Rachael McAdams). Although the Adler-Holmes relationship is not as annoying (in fact, it almost works) as I expected it to be, it is less than what it could have been. I’ve always felt the addition of Adler to any non-Canon story is suicide for a Holmes narrative. She was not a part of the original works beyond one story and her inclusion often means there will be a gratuitous amount of disrespectful baggage. The way this relationship is written in this movie, however, makes it more of a rivalry than a romance. There are moments of obvious affection between Holmes and Adler, but one can never quite tell if it is passion or professional respect that draws them together. RDJ seems paradoxically aloof and compelled when it comes to Adler; if she has to be in there, that just about nails what Holmes’ disposition should be. Unfortunately McAdams seems inspired by Natalie Portman’s mailed-in and ineffectual effort from “Revenge of the Sith.” Her lines are delivered as if coming from an emulator* with as much vested interest as a box of Cheerios at a gourmet breakfast buffet. I would not mind seeing a “The Dark Knight” like switch of heroine actresses if Adler is written into the sequel.

*FYI: Adler is American in the Canon. McAdams is not supposed to have an accent.

A last note on Robert Downey, Jr. I don’t know what he researched when preparing for the role of Holmes. The script obviously called for a somewhat chatty Holmes who banters back and forth with Watson. Some of nuances of RDJ’s Holmes are startlingly similar to the sublime Jeremy Brett’s interpretation of the great detective. If this is a happy coincidence or purposeful modeling by RDJ there is no way to tell, but it is quite fitting especially in much of the diction and some facial expressions. If RDJ did decide to incorporate some mimicry of Brett in his version of Holmes, then I applaud his decision. Below is an extended scene from the BBC television series in which Brett stared. If you have any interest in Holmes at all and have not seen this series, you must get it right away.

The final thing that I take note of gives me deep satisfaction and helps smooth over any small irritants in the movie. That would be what is missing and purposely left out. To avoid a hackneyed re-hash of Holmes, there are several things to avoid. Those things include but are not limited to:

1. A deerstalker hat
2. “Elementary my dear Watson.”
3. “Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.”
4. Ridiculously large pipe
5. Magnifying glass

The first two things never appeared in the Canon. 1) The deerstalker was inspired only by the original Sidney Paget drawings and, 2) “Elementary my dear Watson,” was never spoken in so many words. 3) Holmes’ most famous axiom is in the Canon but how often can one really say such things? 4) Holmes may well have had one of those large horn-shaped pipes, but pipe smokers typically use different pipes (I know, I used to be one) and it would only be logical for smaller ones to be carried on the person. 5) Holmes made regular use of a magnifying glass in the original material, but the thing with the magnifying glass, pipe, and deerstalker following Holmes around everywhere is tiresome. The BBC series with Jermy Brett ditched most of those over-used elements for the better. Sherlock Holmes does as well.

Also appreciated is the reluctance to recall Canon works. There is very little case name dropping (maybe not any? I’m not positive) and the story avoided all temptation to include bits from one story or another. There is also a respectful nod to Edgar Allan Poe and Wilkie Collins, both of whom Doyle credited for giving birth to the idea of Holmes.

Sherlock Holmes is an imperfect movie, but it works well, is respectful of the source material, and is very fun. I admit I was wrong in pronouncing it atrocious before seeing it. If one gets the chance to check it out, he should.

The Original Canon is public domain and available in full online.

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