Review: Ritchie’s ‘Sherlock Holmes’ is an exhilarating watch

Spicezee Bureau

Mumbai: The film on ‘Sherlock Holmes’ may irritate those purists who do not want any meddling with classics but if one watches the film with an open mind then Robert Downey Jr’s portrayal of the detective is not less than remarkable. Guy Ritchie, along with Downey, effectively forays Conan Doyle`s dusty Victorian-age detective into the modern world. Enough of the trappings are left in their action romp ‘Sherlock Holmes` — the lightning-fast cerebrations, the encyclopedic knowledge of London, the compulsive single-mindedness, the vain one-upmanship — to make Downey a reasonably faithful embodiment of the figure Conan Doyle created. Actor Jude Law heads the supporting cast as Holmes` colleague, Dr Watson, less a loyal sidekick in Ritchie`s creation than an odd-couple roomie in a bickering-buddy bromance. Downey and Law have a pleasant, wisecracking fraternity, Holmes the inspired headcase, Watson the stalwart comrade and caretaker. The story didn`t need the artificial friction of their squabbling, a distraction in a film already heaped with distractions. Mind-blowing in every scene, Rachel McAdams seems to be born to wear the sort of velvety, frilly Victorian garb she dons as Irene Adler, a cunning foil to Holmes as well as his romantic interest, the most-extreme revision by Ritchie and company. In the series, Conan Doyle`s had created Holmes as a monk who had no time or respect for women, save, in one story, a schemer named Irene Adler, the only woman who ever outsmarted him. The literary Holmes admired Irene for her mind. Downey`s Holmes admires McAdams` Irene for the whole comely package. Skirting the fringes is shadowy Professor Moriarty, the criminal mastermind of Conan Doyle`s tales, introduced here as Holmes` next great enemy for the inevitable sequel. Eddie Marsan is perfectly cast as Scotland Yard Inspector Lestrade, the professional who deigns to let Holmes dabble in detection, happy to take credit when his amateur ally cracks a case. However, there are certain flaws in the script, for example, the drab plot they built around Holmes - an uninspired tale of a secret society and potentially supernatural doings, appears to be farcical. Rating: Three cheers!