Guy Ritchie was credited to have brought to screen something new and unique with his zany reinterpretation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary creation. Even though his first edition of Sherlock Holmes cannot be qualified as a great artistic achievement, it at least acted as a breath of fresh air; further, it wasn’t difficult to visualize the beginning of a new franchise. Unfortunately, and quite surprisingly, the novelty factor took a sharp downward plunge with this film despite it being only the second edition in the series. The antics of a jaded, acerbic and martial arts expert Holmes was both distracting and bland – only the presence of Robert Downey Jr. infused some life into Ritchie’s version of the super sleuth and hence managed to be one of the very few reasons for sitting through it. Further, while the first part had loads of mystery in the plot, here the principal focus was on the duel (and that too not a very cerebral one) between Holmes and his arch-nemesis Professor Moriarty – consequently the storyline was predictable, largely bereft of any surprise factor, and quite akin to any run-of-the-mill thriller. Thankfully, it does continue to boast of exquisite set-designs and cinematography, thus managing very well in capturing the Victorian era. It also has enough hyperbolic action sequences thrown in to keep the audience involved – the final showdown was especially good in its reimagining of the classic Reichenbach Falls finale in The Final Problem. But, these apart, the movie was mostly forgettable and disappointing.
Director: Guy Ritchie
Genre: Action/Thriller/Mystery
Language: English
Country: UK
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