Written by Michele Mulroney & Kieran Mulroney
Directed by Guy Ritchie
“It isn’t the first occasion that Mr. Holmes inconvenienced me in recent months. The question is: what to do about it?”
(1) THREE REASONS WHY IT IS WORTH THE TIME TO SEE SHERLOCK HOLMES - A GAME OF SHADOWS…
- The acting continues to be superb — Robert Downey Jr. & Jude Law pick up exactly where they left off, with the bromance to end all bromances. Stephen Fry is particularly droll as Mycroft Holmes (you’d almost think that Fry was simply being himself throughout the film), and Jared Harris is fantastic as Moriarty. There is a controlled, caged animal at work in the character, and Harris brings it out with considerable deftness. Noomi Rapace isn’t used a great deal, but she’s a tough, solid female character that doesn’t fall into any clichéd love affair with either character — an independent women in every respect…and flashing considerable style.
The direction continues to be slick — the action sequence on the train is one of the most beautifully-structured & artistic pieces of violence I have seen orchestrated on screen in some considerable time. The Holmes-imagining-future-battle-sequences flow even more smoothly than in the first film…and offer us an opposite conceit on the part of Moriarty in the climax. This is not a dull or mundane movie in any way — there is always something going on to keep one’s interest, and even tiny scenes are handled with delicate aplomb.
The design work is much cleaner and brighter than the first film. At times, it seemed (literally) too dark to appreciate the production design & architectural magnificence on display in the first film…something that seems to have been rectified here. Even in darkness, the beauty of this film’s look & feel shines through, and nothing is obscured…simply enhanced, with appropriate atmosphere.
(2) FIVE REASONS WHY A GAME OF SHADOWS IS DISAPPOINTING, ESPECIALLY COMPARED TO THE FIRST FILM…
There is a dark genius at work in the first film. It’s full of proper mystery, some fantastic investigation, and numerous twists and turns to keep everyone guessing. But Game of Shadows wants simply to be an action film — all the investigating & mystery has been handled off screen. It makes for a pacy film, yet one that flaunts less intelligence, less depth, and less audience subversion of expectations. If you really want to see the spider web that Holmes has built for this film, I suggest you watch Guy Ritchie’s first Victorian opus…you will actually find that complexity and ingenuity, which is only hinted at in Game of Shadows.
There’s actually much less of a Holmesian feeling to this picture. In spite of all the modern jack-it-up spirit behind the project, movie number one was definitely a creature of the Victorian age — from its opulence to its slums, from its manners to its relationships. It was still recognizable as the place that Arthur Conan Doyle spent 60 stories sketching out to beautiful effect. Much of that atmosphere is absent here…the only place I truly see it in action is during Watson’s non-stag party. It is very conspicuous by its absence in the rest of the film.
The climax takes the phrase “underplaying emotion” to a rather bland level of sedateness. If you read the “death” of Holmes in Conan Doyle’s The Final Problem…or watch its brilliant Jeremy Brett-lead episodic realization from the 1980s…you will immediately notice the immense feeling of loss and grief on the part of Watson. But watching Jude Law’s reaction to the Reichenbach Falls incident — to say nothing of his write up — you would think the entire episode left him in a state of misdirected catatonia…or worried about nothing more than a hangnail! There is zero emotion & feeling for the audience to latch onto and make their own. Actually, it makes me a little irritated, as it kills and resurrects Holmes in such a perfunctory manner that it’s a blatant insult to both The Final Problem & The Empty House.
Irene Adler’s death is ineptly handled and a completely wasted opportunity. An unforgivable shame…and I’m surprised Rachel McAdams agreed to waste her talents on such a poorly used cameo.
Holmes’ urban camouflage device gets one moment of hilarity…the rest of the time, it’s exceedingly stupid.
Final verdict? A Game of Shadows is fun, clever, exciting, and rather superficial. It’s astonishing in its breadth, but barely an inch deep in depth.
6.5
