Sherlock Holmes fans might think they are going to be treated to a Holmes pastiche. Unfortunately it seems that the Sherlockian aspects are there to only to spoof, and not in a clever nor informed manner.
The opening scene establishes that a man is being blackmailed. Into this scene walks the George C. Scott character, a man suffering from the delusion that he is Sherlock Holmes, and the brother of the blackmailed man. At first it seems that he embodies the traits and abilities of Holmes and will apply his methods to the crime beneath his nose. Instead he goes on a wild goose chase after Moriarty, seeing clues where there are none and making unsupportable jumps in logic. The doctor meant to examine and potentially commit him joins the escapade, getting drawn further into "Sherlock's" world view as she goes. Her name? Dr. Watson.
For some time it seems that he might resolve the crime at hand, even if only bumbling through like Inspector Gadget. There is even a confrontation with the apparent authors of the blackmail, but it is played for "madcap" laughs and the story moves on. By the time the movie reaches the climax, with a grand conflict in a grocery store, everything has devolved into irredeemable silliness.
The opening scene establishes that a man is being blackmailed. Into this scene walks the George C. Scott character, a man suffering from the delusion that he is Sherlock Holmes, and the brother of the blackmailed man. At first it seems that he embodies the traits and abilities of Holmes and will apply his methods to the crime beneath his nose. Instead he goes on a wild goose chase after Moriarty, seeing clues where there are none and making unsupportable jumps in logic. The doctor meant to examine and potentially commit him joins the escapade, getting drawn further into "Sherlock's" world view as she goes. Her name? Dr. Watson.
For some time it seems that he might resolve the crime at hand, even if only bumbling through like Inspector Gadget. There is even a confrontation with the apparent authors of the blackmail, but it is played for "madcap" laughs and the story moves on. By the time the movie reaches the climax, with a grand conflict in a grocery store, everything has devolved into irredeemable silliness.