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SHERLOCK HOLMES
"Monk" Meets "Fight Club"
Reviewed by John P. McCarthy
"Sherlock Holmes" is pleasantly paradoxical. On the one
hand, it plays not so differently than a 1930s feature
starring Basil Rathbone as the famous sleuth -- watched
on a rainy Saturday afternoon in front of the TV. On the
other, it offers the pleasures of a modern, frenetic,
and effects-laden blockbuster.
With Robert Downey Jr. headlining as an equally brainy
and physical Holmes, director Guy Ritchie has made an
up-to-date movie without letting anything newfangled
overwhelm Arthur Conan Doyle's beloved characters or the
yarn -- which, it must be said, has as much in common
with Dan Brown's latest potboiler "The Lost Symbol"
than, say, "The Hound of the Baskervilles."
Satisfying the expectations of contemporary moviegoers
while not dissing the source material or being overly
serious is far from an elementary achievement. In light
of Ritchie's best films -- "Lock, Stock & Two Smoking
Barrels" and "Snatch" -- it figures he would gravitate
toward the London-set exploits of a detective unafraid
of immersing himself in that city's criminal underworld.
And while he's following in the footsteps of
accomplished helmers such as Billy Wilder, Barry
Levinson, Herbert Ross, and, not forgetting the comedic
angle, Gene Wilder, his leading man has numerous
impressive forbearers. In addition to Rathbone's
prototypical Holmes, there's Jeremy Brett's effetely
high-strung detective and Nicol Williamson's
cocaine-addicted Sherlock.
Expectations are always high for a performance by the
talented Downey, particularly after he revitalized the
action-fantasy superhero in "Iron Man." Aside from his
shaky British accent, which results in a few garbled
lines, no unusual powers are needed to deduce he's done
the same for this role. His Holmes combines the
qualities of a highly cerebral and neurotic sleuth like
Monk with the derring-do and masochistic physicality of
an urban brawler in "Fight Club." He's unkempt --
slovenly even -- but despite an apparent lack of hygiene
(grungy flair, if you're being charitable) his mind and
body are decidedly fit. He's a physical and mental
specimen to be reckoned with -- a skilled pugilist who
engages in bare-knuckle boxing matches when bored.
Besides this physical stimulation, he craves "data" on
which to train his gray matter. Facts are his lifeblood,
though it's a wonder his brain can process anything
after enduring (and administering) so many blows. His
hunger for pertinent information and extreme fisticuffs
does leave ample time for lighthearted banter; and, rest
assured, Downey's Sherlock still smokes a pipe and likes
to pluck on his violin when noodling a problem or
killing time before his next thought-provoking case.
Perhaps his most peculiar feature is his relationship
with Dr. Watson, played with proper second-banana
understatement and no hint of fustiness by Jude Law.
With Watson engaged to be married and in the process of
moving out of 221B Baker Street, Holmes is forlorn and
jealous. There's a strong, half-joking suggestion
they've been more than friends and colleagues, and their
emotional bond leads to some petulant squabbling and
sharp ribbing. While Watson has a gambling addiction, it
seems Holmes -- whose fondness for cocaine is mentioned
in passing -- is addicted to Watson and isn't taking his
departure in stride.
In a pre-title sequence, the crime-solving duo saves a
maiden from being sacrificed during an occult ritual by
Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong). This twisted peer of the
realm summons Holmes to his cell before he's to be
hanged and warns of impending murders and chaos. Sure
enough, after Watson pronounces Blackwood dead, he rises
from his grave and terrorizes London with acts of black
magic. Sherlock's old flame Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams)
turns up, having been hired by a mysterious figure to
work the case. She and Holmes tangle but soon join
forces to foil Blackwood's plot to blow up Parliament
and seize control of the British Empire along with a
fraternity of quasi-Masonic cohorts.
This involves a number of slickly entertaining action
set pieces that take place at a Thames shipyard, in a
slaughterhouse, in the sewers beneath Westminster, and
high above the river on the Tower Bridge. Ritchie and
his crew stage, shoot and edit these scenes with
admirable energy and also devise a nifty way of
depicting Holmes' sleuthing processes that uses slow
motion to admirable effect.
Keeping the logic straight and the tone light is a
challenge that is well met. The movie's flashes of
modern irony mesh well with its charms as an
old-fashioned detective serial. Sherlock Holmes
aficionados will be gratified to learn that the
villainous Professor Moriarty makes an appearance and
helps set up the sequel. Additional spiffy adventures of
Sherlock Holmes are in the offing. Maybe even a new
version of "The Hound of the Baskervilles." (PG-13) GOOD
CRIME-ADVENTURE Dir-Guy Ritchie Lead-Robert Downey Jr.
RT-125 mins.
THE LOSS OF A TEARDROP DIAMOND
The un-produced Tennessee Williams play this disjointed
and histrionic drama is based on demands a more nuanced,
more historically attentive approach than this. Bryce
Dallas Howard is assured enough as a 1920s heiress
trying to live down her landowner father's terrible
reputation amidst the catty rich folk of her Southern
town, but actress turned first-time filmmaker Jodie
Markell is at a loss as to how properly to contextualize
her life. The ragged, jagged plot about the missing
earring of the title spins so preposterously out of all
sense that we fail to understand most of what anyone
onscreen is doing, or why. (PG-13) BORING DRAMA
Dir-Jodie Markell Lead-Bryce Dallas Howard RT-102 mins.
THE WHITE RIBBON
As beautiful as it is disturbing, Michael Haneke's
black-and-white parable about German villagers circa
1914 ponders how one generation incorporates the sins of
the previous generation. While adults try to fathom a
series of transgressions -- some minor, some serious,
all unnerving -- evidently perpetrated by their
children, their own venality is glimpsed. It doesn't
take a keen math mind or moral detective to realize
we're watching the early formation of Nazis. Nor is it
hard to discern that Haneke -- on the back of Christian
Berger's superb cinematography -- wants to reveal the
cruel chaos lurking beneath a façade of order and
obedience. The result is eerily profound. Subtitled. (R)
GREAT DRAMA Dir-Michael Haneke Lead-Ulrich Tukur RT-145
mins.
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