Sherlock Holmes

USA 2009, 128 minutes
Dir. Guy Ritchie
Rating: [M] Violence
Genres: Action/Adventure, Suspense/Crime

Feat. Robert Downey Jnr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Eddie Marsan, Geraldine James, Kelly Reilly, James Fox

Aroview: Blockbuster makeover of the famous sleuth has Holmes re-imagined as a brawny, off-beat super-hero type, battling a fiendish villain who threatens the whole of Victorian England with his death-defying black magic.

Not the Sherlock Holmes that purists would like to remember, this is one drawn from dir. Guy Ritchie's stock as much as Conan Doyle's, with chest-baring fisticuffs now supplementing his incomparable powers of deduction. Robert Downey Jnr. again shows he's in a class of his own among A-List actors, with his expressive range and dapper accent, though subtitles may be needed to catch all the clues. In support, Jude Law is very much elementary, but Mark Strong flexes a superior screen villainy.

Member Reviews

Average rating (Good Enough). Showing 1-7 of 7 member reviews.

I find this review offensive! I don’t agree with this review. I agree with this review.
3 stars (Good Enough) Great, mindless fun. RDJ gives his usual good value as our titular hero and Jude Law is surprisingly not annoying. ~The Myrka
I find this review offensive! I don’t agree with this review. I agree with this review.
1 star (Turkey) To be fair, I didn't see the ending. So, who knows? It may, in the last act, have miraculously stopped being an insultingly dumb, obnoxiously smug, gratingly "stylised" feature-length commercial... But prob'ly not. I taste bile just thinking about it. ~fairbrother
I find this review offensive! I don’t agree with this review. I agree with this review.
5 stars (Exceptional) ~normfilmbuff
I find this review offensive! I don’t agree with this review. I agree with this review.
3 stars (Good Enough) Had my hopes for something a little more scarily mystical (in true Sherlock form) but they opted for the family fun version and hey, it certainly entertains. ~Baby
I find this review offensive! I don’t agree with this review. I agree with this review.
4 stars (Very Good) Entertaining, if not quite true to Conan Doyle's vision, 2009's Sherlock is the ever-brilliant Downey Jnr, supported by Jude Law as Watson. Humour, suspense, action, adventure, Sherlock Holmes attempts it all. ~Tom H
I find this review offensive! I don’t agree with this review. I agree with this review.
3 stars (Good Enough) Trailers looked bad, but was pretty good. The 'supernatural' tease was well handled. RDJ was likable, Strong was a good baddy, decent script, Ritchie’s directorial style suited the material. Saved me from a bitterly cold afternoon stuck in Invercargill. ~SteveParkes
I find this review offensive! I don’t agree with this review. I agree with this review.
2 stars (Good Try) flashy camera and editing work don't help - another special effects actioner - if you can last out till the end credits there is a great track from the Dubliners. ~Tubbs