Studio: Warner Bros.

Some people may have scoffed when they heard Guy Ritchie had been handed the creative control of such an iconic character as Sherlock Holmes but really we should just be thankful Hollywood at least granted the honour to an Englishman. I could see this having gone the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen route with some dipshit American director like Norrington at the helm. And since I like the majority of Guy’s work, I was excited to see what he would do when adapting from classic literature, when shooting period and when working with improv master, Robert Downey Jr. I wasn’t disappointed. The acting, direction and even plot were excellent. While I don’t remember Holmes and Watson’s adventures having any romantic subplots, most of the story here seems very “Sherlockian” (even if not pulled directly from a specific Sir Arthur Conan Doyle story). Many fanboys may want to call Guy out on not including some of the Sherlock trademarks such as his deerstalker hat, a fat Watson, and the utterance of his classic phrase, it’s elementary my dear Watson. But truth be known, these are all North American additions to the lore that can be attributed to playwright and actor, William Gillette.

Mark Strong, who plays Lord Blackwell here, is in every Guy Ritchie flick and never seems to get his due. As Blackwell, he was the perfect Victorian villain, reminiscent of Jack the Ripper in his esoteric antics. Hopefully his upcoming roles in Kick-Ass and John Carter of Mars will gain him the bigger roles he deserves. I could go on about how great Downey and Law were but every other reviewer out there will do that for me.

Now, my main criticism is that this movie was very similar to the French film Vidocq. And I don’t simply mean that they are both stories of master detectives and their steadfast sidekicks. (Spoiler alert) These films focus on villains that are seemingly able to wield black magic, but in fact they are just ambitious men harnessing cutting-edge science (in their times). I’m not saying that Guy is a biter and you shouldn’t see this movie, but maybe give Vidocq a watch as well.

Sherlock Holmes was an entertaining, aptly directed and superbly acted film well worth the ticket price.