Hands of a Murderer (TV 1990)

Professor Moriarty is loose in London with spies everywhere, and only Sherlock Holmes can figure out what he's up to and stop it.

Director:

Stuart Orme

Writer:

Charles Edward Pogue

Stars:

Edward Woodward, John Hillerman, Anthony Andrews

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Edward Woodward	...	Sherlock Holmes
John Hillerman	...	Dr. John Watson
Anthony Andrews	...	Prof. James Moriarty
Kim Thomson	...	Sophie DeVere
Peter Jeffrey	...	Mycroft Holmes
Warren Clarke	...	Col. Gould
Terence Lodge	...	Insp. Lestrade
Christopher Fairbank	...	Jeremy Stubb
Harry Audley	...	Richard Farrington
David Sibley	...	Finch
John Tordoff	...	Berton
Michael Tezcan	...	Kasim
Daniel Newman	...	Wiggins
Faith Kent	...	Mrs. Hudson
David Neal	...	Minister

Storyline

When Professor Moriarty escapes the gallows - literally in a puff of smoke - Sherlock Holmes finds himself once again in pursuit of his old nemesis. Soon after the escape, Holmes' brother Mycroft asks him to work at identifying a leak in British Intelligence. Uncharacteristically, he refuses to help until he realizes that Moriarty is behind the missing State secrets. He learns that a very seductive woman, Sophy DeVere, has been hypnotizing one of Mycroft's young assistants to steal the information. When Moriarty is unable to decode the secret message he has stolen, he kidnaps Mycroft in order to get the information.

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Plot Keywords:

sherlock holmes | hypnotism | indian | snake charmer | remake | 

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Taglines:

Can Sherlock Holmes resist the ultimate challenge?

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Genres:

Mystery | Action | Adventure

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 May 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sherlock Holmes and the Prince of Crime

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Greeen Pond Productions Inc., Storke Enterprises, William F. Storke & Robert E. Fuisz

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The issue of "The Strand" arrives at Baker Street which contains Watson's account of "The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb", dating the events to March 1892. Holmes' comment that it is "Appropriately accompanied with inaccurate and melodramatic illustrations" is a nice acknowledgement that neither Woodward nor Hillerman reflect the sleuths as depicted in Sidney Paget's artwork accompanying the tale.

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Goofs

The opening hanging scene has a public hanging using the large American style knot, never ever used in Britain - Prisoners were given a black cap, instead of a white but the last public hanging in Britain was in 1868, 32 years before the movie is set.

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Connections

Remake of The Woman in Green (1945)

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Soundtracks

"The Lord is My Shepherd"
(uncredited)
(trad.)
During the funeral scene.

User Reviews

Alas, I Really Tried to Like It More

I am a lifelong fan of The Great Detective; I yield place to no one as a fan of Edward Woodward. I even believe I understand why Mr Woodward would wish to play Sherlock Holmes; I too would like to play Sherlock Holmes. I recuse myself from the role (even though no one has asked me to perform as the Wizard of Baker Street) since I bear no resemblance whatsoever to Sir Arthur's descriptions of Holmes. Nor does Edward Woodward, and it is simply too great a stretch to see a burly Holmes. Woodward would make a fine radio Holmes. Hillerman is as solid a Watson as any, which is in itself amazing as Hillerman is from Texas. Perhaps this presentation suffers most when compared with the British series starring Jeremy Brett. In short, despite its good points, not for Sherlockians.