Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Detective Sherlock Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson engage in a battle of wits and brawn with a nemesis whose plot is a threat to all of England.

Director:

Guy Ritchie

Writers:

Michael Robert Johnson (screenplay), Anthony Peckham (screenplay)

Stars:

Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 29 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Sherlock Holmes
Jude Law	...	Dr. John Watson
Rachel McAdams	...	Irene Adler
Mark Strong	...	Lord Henry Blackwood
Eddie Marsan	...	Inspector Lestrade
Robert Maillet	...	Dredger
Geraldine James	...	Mrs. Hudson
Kelly Reilly	...	Mary Morstan
William Houston	...	Constable Clark
Hans Matheson	...	Lord Coward
James Fox	...	Sir Thomas Rotheram
William Hope	...	Ambassador Standish
Clive Russell	...	Captain Tanner
Oran Gurel	...	Reordan
David Garrick	...	McMurdo

Storyline

After finally catching serial killer and occult "sorcerer" Lord Blackwood, legendary sleuth Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr. Watson can close yet another successful case. But when Blackwood mysteriously returns from the grave and resumes his killing spree, Holmes must take up the hunt once again. Contending with his partner's new fiancée and the dimwitted head of Scotland Yard, the dauntless detective must unravel the clues that will lead him into a twisted web of murder, deceit, and black magic - and the deadly embrace of temptress Irene Adler.

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Plot Keywords:

sherlock holmes character | scotland yard inspector | baker street london | belt | serial killer | 

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Taglines:

Holmes for the Holiday.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some startling images and a scene of suggestive material

Did You Know?

Trivia

Several of the film's details recall "The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone". The first is the name of the primary antagonist, Lord Blackwood, which parallels that of "Mazarin Stone" villain Count Negretto Sylvius (Negretto is Italian for black, and Sylvius is Latin for woods). (As Holmes scholar W. W. Roberts notes, this is "presumably a private joke at the expense of Blackwood's Magazine, long and unavailingly courted by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the 1880s.") Another common detail is the Crown Diamond, an alternate name for the Mazarin Stone, which hangs around Irene Adler's neck in the film. "The Mazarin Stone" is also the first story to mention that the 221B Baker Street apartment had multiple exits and a waiting room. The extra exit, which was through the bedroom, is employed by Holmes to follow Irene early in the film.

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Goofs

Early in the film, Holmes reads a Daily Graphic dated 13 November 1890. The front page features a report of Blackwood's impending execution, accompanied by photographs of Blackwood, Holmes, and Watson. The Daily Graphic was the first newspaper to print a halftone photograph, but it started in 1891.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sherlock Holmes: [voice-over] Head cocked to the left, partial deafness in ear: first point of attack. Two: throat; paralyze vocal chords, stop scream. Three: got to be a heavy drinker, floating rib to the liver. Four: finally, drag in left leg, fist to patella. Summary prognosis: unconscious in ninety seconds, martial efficacy quarter of an hour at best. Full faculty recovery: unlikely.

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Crazy Credits

Part of the closing credits are a sequence of illustrated scenes from the film.

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Connections

Featured in Granada Reports: 7 June 2018: Evening Bulletin (2018)

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Soundtracks

Adagio from String Quartet Opus 1 No. 3 In D Major
Written by Joseph Haydn
Arranged by Rick Wentworth
Performed by The Isobel Griffiths Ensemble
Courtesy of Pathé Productions Limited

User Reviews

Refreshing to a fresh eye...

As you can tell from the first review, you probably have to be a big reader or fanboy/girl of Sherlock Holmes in order to be displeased. I was pleased almost the whole way through this movie without caring much about character. Still, even though Sherlock Holmes sometimes was a bit too 'ambiguously gay' and had an annoying modern-like personality, he continued to be funny, strange, and as intelligent as I thought Sherlock should be. Jude Law did a good job as well as others on the cast.

I loved the plot. It was obvious to me at times how the story would unravel, but then it hits you again in the end. It was a subtle hit, however. Anyways, my favorite part of the story was mainly the broad scheme of things and the people involved. Sherlock goes deep enough into the world of conspiracy to keep me interested.

My only gripe with this movie is sometimes the humor. A lot of the 'humor' came out during conversations. People would laugh at the wittiness spewed by the main characters, and it just felt too much like a modern sitcom. Today, American society and culture is infected with internet memes, battles of quick wit, and straight-faced jokes that provoke a lame laughter from me (one not deeply felt.) You could compare what I am saying to the dialogue in 'The Big Bang Theory.' Hollywood could maybe tone down a bit on dry and clever jokes, especially when they poke out during unnecessary times.

In conclusion, I enjoyed this movie enough to rate it an 8 out of 10, and although I did complain more than I gave praise, I just didn't want to give away all of the good parts. Go see this movie. It's fresh, isn't based in America, and doesn't trail off there either. There are twists, excellent action scenes, lots of fun moments, sweet investigation, and some analogous material better discussed in a forum of theorists.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Warner Bros. [Japan]

Country:

USA Germany UK Australia

Language:

English French

Release Date:

25 December 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sherlock Holmes

Filming Locations:

The Historic Dockyard Chatham, Chatham, Kent, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$90,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$62,304,277, 27 December 2009

Gross USA:

$209,028,679

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$524,028,679

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures, Silver Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1