Alex Reviews...

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Robert Downey Jr. must be very busy these days - Sherlock Holmes, Iron Man...well actually those are the only two that spring to mind at the moment, but he's definitely having a good few years in the film industry. Following on from the success of the first Holmes film with Downey Jr. as the eccentric genius Sherlock and Jude Law as the reliable war veteran Dr. Watson, A Game of Shadows pitches Sherlock against his grand nemesis; Professor Moriarty - a meticulously evil man of equal wit as our Great Detective - played amiably by  Jared Harris. More action, more plot-twists, more displays of cunning, more ridiculous feats and more excellent direction - A Game of Shadows doesn't disappoint.

The budget didn't seem low on the last Holmes film, but I would hazard a guess that it increased a fair amount in making this one. There are explosions a plenty, gunfights, and those cool 'Sherlock vision' fight scenes that show you the step-by-step process taken to defeat a foe. We're reacquainted with some old characters, and introduced to some new (anyone who is a fan of Stephen Fry will not be disappointed) but as you would expect it is Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law who capture our attention. Although there is still some of the friction to be expected between the characters, Watson is a lot less resilient to Holmes and we are reminded that he does care for him despite the mess Holmes manages to drag him and his new wife into. Sherlock is as spectacularly clever and resourceful as he was before, and yet not so much as to make things boring - you will still be surprised that they can get out of the situations they get into, and a lot of the time Sherlock doesn't seem as in control of the situation as he would want the audience to think. I for one like the direction that Guy Ritchie has taken our most beloved of British characters, and applaud the way he always seems to be able to create films that show their intelligence in the final moments as each strand of an intricate web are brought together to give you the satisfaction of 'a plan that comes together'.

Also, Noomi Rapace is in it, who was the star of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo...or at least...I thought she was - there seems to be another girl with a tattoo of a dragon and also Daniel Craig being advertised these days - very confusing.