Lou reviewed this one already, but I'd like to add a few cents having just seen it. First off, I'm a huge Guy Ritchie fan. I've loved just about all of his movies to some degree, but I've never been a Sherlock Holmes fan. Anytime I think of Holmes I think of the Young Sherlock Holmes film from the 80's, which I watched as an eleven year-old on a plane ride to Italy. I don't remember liking it. That said, I was still excited about this, because of Ritchie, but also because of the casting of Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. The former has experienced an incredible renaissance, and the latter has been getting better every time out. Still, could they pull off Holmes? Better yet, can they reinvent Holmes so that I would care?
That answer, folks, is a resounding YES. I loved this film, and honestly can't figure out the "slow" comments I've heard. As Lou mentioned, the pacing is perfect, giving you enough time to digest everything that's going on, which is quite a bit. Summing up, after being separated for a time, Holmes and Watson are called back together when the seemingly supernatural criminal they just put away is put to death, but subsequently has been resurrected. The ensuing story is one long mysterious chase, done in a style that Ritchie has perfected.
Ritchie is the biggest star here, actually, so let's first focus on his direction. The way he lays everything out, including how Holmes takes in information and subsequently processes it is fantastic. He gets great performances out of everyone, even the more bit players, a HUGE strength of his. Just look at the crazy bald mook in the courtyard holding pen! I was so happy with the way he handled this movie, expanding his repertoire nicely.
A few other things to mention. The cinematography is stunning! Everything just looks slick, but totally gritty at the same time. The sets were wonderfully constructed. The scene next to the boat that's being worked on was a favorite. The music, oh man, I looooved the music! Hans Zimmer composed some excellent pieces, with the main one seemingly coming from Ennio Morricone's book of excellence!
All of these elements combined with the aforementioned great performances and Ritchie's overall flair just flat out produced here. There have been so many movies like this that turned out hokey (Van Helsing comes to mind), but Ritchie came at this with his sensibilities, and it worked. Definitely recommend it!
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