Sherlock Holmes, 12A, 128 mins
Cast: Robert Downey Jnr, Jude Law, Mark Strong, Rachel McAdams, Kelly Reilly, Eddie Marsan Director: Guy Ritchie Genre: action / drama / comedy / romance Rating: *** (out of five)
GUY Ritchie's reinvention of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary sleuth should have been a dream new beginning for him.
Starting his career in 1998 with the almighty bang of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, the Hertfordshire-born film-maker has spent most of the past decade in the shadow of then-wife Madonna.
Ritchie's emasculation coincided with a steady decline in fortunes behind the camera.
With a wedding ring on his finger, he masterminded some appalling crimes (Swept Away, Revolver) that should have been punishable with an enforced leave of absence from the director's chair.
Sherlock Holmes is his first project since his high-profile divorce and his most expensive picture to date.
Nothing warms the cockles of the heart like a comeback, and there would be a wonderful sense of validation if Ritchie could return to glorious form at the very moment the knives are out for him.
Sadly, our cockles will only be lukewarm by the end of this big-budget caper rooted in late 19th-century London.
The film has style in abundance and the action set-pieces are well choreographed, including a protracted fight in a shipyard.
Yet for all the attention to detail, this incarnation of Sherlock Holmes isn't fully formed, with undernourished female characters and a fake supernatural plot that could easily be trimmed by half an hour.
Holmes (Downey Jnr) and his trusty sidekick Watson (Law) race to the scene of a ritualistic killing, just in time to stop Lord Blackwood (Strong) sacrificing his latest victim.
Incarcerated in a police cell before his execution, Blackwood torments Scotland Yard Inspector Lestrade (Marsan) and his men, spreading fear among the ranks.
When he finally reaches the gallows, the accused is unrepentant, vowing that "death is only the beginning" before he falls to his doom, the noose tight around his neck.
Soon after, news reaches Holmes that the deceased has apparently risen from the grave to continue his reign of terror.
Meanwhile, Irene (McAdams), the only woman ever to outsmart Sherlock, continues to vex him - and Watson prepares to move out of 221b Baker Street with sweetheart Mary (Reilly).
Sherlock Holmes is an entertaining romp, enlivened by banter between a suitably quixotic Downey Jnr and strait-laced Law.
"No woman wants to marry a doctor who can't tell if a man is dead or not," smirks Sherlock, goading his assistant, who wrongly declared Blackwood dead.
McAdams has nothing to do apart from find herself in peril, while Strong bristles with diabolical intent.
The script introduces the shadowy figure of Moriarty late into proceedings, to sow the seeds for a sequel.
"Please don't underestimate him," pleads Irene. "He's just as brilliant as you and infinitely more devious."
It can be seen at the Stephen Joseph Theatre from Mon 15 to Thu 18 Feb.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Scarborough
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 9 C to 14 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: East
