‘Game of Shadows’ continues Director Guy Ritchie’s quest in toughening up Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s creation. Presenting Sherlock Holmes as a Detective using fists and wits to defeat criminals, Ritchie is unafraid in mixing established convention. Usually this isn’t a bad thing as any well-crafted character can withstand any interpretation. This version sees a more ‘commercially acceptable’ take on the Holmes mythology with a story low on intelligence but high on the explosions current cinema demands.
Unravelling clues and catching villains, Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jnr) and associate Doctor Watson (Jude Law) discover a new challenge. Gypsy, Simza (Noomi Rapace), provides them with information regarding the activities of the wicked Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris) and they quickly cut to the chase. With the help of Holmes’s brother Mycroft (Stephen Fry) they attempt to stop Moriarty’s nefarious plans for world domination with the art of deduction their ultimate weapon.
Less the type of tale Conan Doyle would have written, ‘Game of Shadows’ plays like a Victorian era version of an action movie. Replace ‘Lethal Weapon’s’ Riggs and Murtaugh with Holmes and Watson and you’re halfway there. That isn’t to say it isn’t entertaining as Downey Jnr and Law have a grand time with the silly frolics. However there lies the problem – their characters’ use of jokey quips and involvement in outlandish situations lessen the authority needed. Not once do you believe they are in peril with a ludicrous means of escape always around the corner.
On the plus side Ritchie goes for a more realistic tone than previous versions. The gritty realism of the era is effectively shown with the various stunts utilising the surrounds well. A shame the Matrix-style cinematography negates some of these as they feel out of place within the setting. Thankfully scenes between Holmes and Moriarty are suitably tense with the modicum of intellectual witticisms an oasis in a sea of mediocre story-telling.
With ‘Game of Shadows’ already a monster hit, a third Sherlock Holmes movie seems assured. While it has its moments it isn’t a patch on the works for which Conan Doyle deservedly found fame although hopefully it inspires people to discover how a good Holmes tale should be told.
Movie Review Rating: 5 / 10
Movie Review by Patrick Moore
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Patrick Moore's Movie Review is an alternative look at current movie releases in Australia.
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