Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Rachel McAdams, Jared Harris, Stephen Fry, Paul Anderson, Kelly Reilly, Geraldine James, Jack Laskey and Eddie Marsan
Directed By: Guy Ritchie
Written By: Michele Mulroney and Kieran Mulroney
Based on Characters Created By: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Produced By: Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey and Dan Lin
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Rating: PG-13, for intense sequences of violence and action, and some drug material.
Running Time: Approximately 129 minutes
Website: sherlockholmes2.warnerbros.com
Budget: $140 million
Genre: Action/Adventure/Comedy/Thriller
Release Date: December 16, 2011
In a recent USA Today article, literary mega-villain Professor James Moriarty, a mathematical genius who’s the archenemy of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s British super-detective Sherlock Holmes, was described as, “Colder than Darth Vader, more ruthless than The Joker, smarter than James Bond nemesis Ernst Blofeld and capable of out-eviling Lord Voldemort.”
The chess-obsessed criminal mastermind, also known as the “Napoleon of Crime,” was alluded to in director Guy Ritchie’s 2009 Victorian-era set action romp, Sherlock Holmes starring Oscar nominees Robert Downey, Jr. (Chaplin and Tropic Thunder) and Jude Law (The Talented Mr. Ripley and Cold Mountain). He finally comes out of the shadows in Ritchie’s action-packed sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, which pits Holmes, Watson and company against Moriarty, played with appropriate menace and intellectual arrogance by Jared Harris (the son of the late Richard Harris), in a battle of intellectual wills as Moriarty quietly and methodically plots to ignite a world war. We quickly discover that Moriarty isn’t above targeting the people that mean the most to Holmes to make sure his nefarious aims go undeterred.
Both Downey and Law make welcome returns as the “Master of Deduction” and his steadfast partner in crime-solving Dr. James Watson, respectively. In this big screen outing, Holmes is rocked to his usually cool, analytical core by the prospect of potentially losing Watson to marriage and all its quiet life trappings. The night before the scheduled nuptials at Watson’s botched bachelor party (Holmes’ handiwork being he’s Watson’s best man), Holmes comes into contact with Madam Simza Heron (Swedish actress Noomi Rapace, who originated the role of Lisbeth Salander in the original foreign-language The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and it’s two sequels), a gypsy in the midst of tracking down her missing rogue brother.
The well-connected gypsy joins Holmes and Watson on their country-hopping mission to take Moriarty down – as does Holmes’ flamboyant, erudite older brother played by British comedian Stephen Fry in a wry, scene-stealing supporting turn. Kelly Reilly also gets a few memorable moments in the film as Watson’s soon-to-be-missus.
In typical Hollywood fashion, the sequel is bigger, longer, louder, more frenetic and more violent, and, dare I say, more British than the surprisingly effective first outing. Ritchie takes his obvious affection (some might say fetish) for elaborate, tricked-out action set pieces to jaw-dropping new heights. Thanks to the incomparable pairing of Downey and Law, and the welcome addition of Fry, this hyperactive sequel zips along in a mostly agreeable fashion.
On the subject of Chaplin, Downey infuses aspects of the legendary comedian into his take on Holmes. If you’re at all familiar with Chaplin, his work, or the 1992 film biography of his life that a young Downey starred in, you’ll recognize Chaplin-esque moments throughout the film, which the nimble Downey pulls off rather brilliantly.
As was the case with the first film, action fans will rejoice, literary purists will recoil, and respective fans of Downey, Law, and Ritchie will no doubt turn out in droves insuring a third – even bigger and louder – sequel will soon follow.
3 stars (out of 5)
