Sherlock Holmes

Whenever attempting to solve a murder where black magic, satanism, or the dark arts are suspected, it's best to plot out the locations of earlier slayings on a map. Now if you connect the dots, the lines will most likely form a perfect pentagram...or a pentacle for the Robert Langdon students among you. This oversight was Sherlock Holmes biggest mistake in the latest Robert Downey Jr. vehicle; though he did eventually figure it out. But beyond that eye rolling cliche, this movie was a lot better than I anticipated. It appears Guy Ritchie has given up on his stylized indie films in favor of safe, crowd-pleasing fare that the average movie goer can enjoy without the aid of subtitles. Still, you can catch glimpses of Ritchie's style in the snappy dialogue and frantic fight sequences. I've never read a Sherlock Holmes novel, nor have I seen a memorable film featuring the characters of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's books, so I can't speak to the authenticity of the material. But it all comes together rather nicely, thanks in large part to Downey's eccentric performance. It's also nice to see Jude Law in a strong supporting role as Watson. Overall, this is a good old fashioned detective story. Sure, we do get the Scooby Doo ending where Holmes explains how he figured everything out, but this is a case where the full-disclosure technique is welcome, as there's far too many loose ends to keep track of. Speaking of loose ends, the movie has a rather ambitious ending as Holmes prepares for his next case...involving Professor Moriarty. Now that's a sequel I wouldn't mind seeing.