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Guy Ritchie isn’t that well known for his massive, blockbuster family films. In fact, very few of his films don’t have one of the characters speaking in a cockney accent. I think it’s fair to say that Lock, Stock and two Smokin’ Barrels is one of the best gangster films ever made, but it’s also the best film Ritchie has ever made as well. Yes, he has stuck with a genre he knows for all these years, but it hasn’t really paid off. Anyone who saw Rock n’ Rolla will testify to that. However, Sherlock Holmes looks like a new direction for this director; a well known character, plenty of room for improvisation with the source material and very talented actors to work with.

 It’s a very good thing that it’s worked then. The story surrounds the final days of the Holmes/Watson partnership. Holmes (Downey Jr.) has become bored with the world as he’s realised that his deductive powers have made his job far too easy. The worst part for him is that Watson (Jude Law) is planning to move from Baker St. in order to start a new life with his fiancée. As this mini-soap opera is unfolding, with some hilarious sequences revolving around the two’s crumbling relationship, London is in fear of the recent resurrection of the pair’s last foe, Lord Blackwood. This former member of the gentry has taken up black magic and is now threatening to plunge the country into the Dark Ages. So, despite their differences, Holmes and Watson join forces in order to stop Blackwood’s plan that are surprisingly modern.

 The major theme for this film is the explainable and the unknown clashing in the form of Holmes’ science and Blackwood’s magic. It’s a very well thought out and executed story that can change almost immediately from the comedic to the disturbing. This is helped by the performance of Downey Jr. and Jude Law who seem to be more of an old comic duo, not far from the two Ronnies, being placed in an extraordinary situation. In particular, Downey Jr. is absolutely fantastic as Holmes and really makes the character his own. One of my biggest fears going into the cinema was that the film would turn a respectable character into cheap comic relief, but it actually improves on the source and would make Sir Arthur Conan Doyle proud.

 The script and the acting aren’t the only stellar elements of the film. The direction is very impressive and even masterful in some places. A lot of films have used slow-motion before in a desperate attempt to add some style, here it’s used as a way of showing how Holmes thinks and works really well. The visual style itself is a mix between realistic in that the time period is accurately captured and epic in scale (the final confrontation takes place on a half built Tower Bridge!). If there is any negative aspect it’s that the choice to go with an original villain instead of a well established one leads to some downright stupid scenes. The character of James Moriaty is hinted at, but never truly brought in and Irene Adler, one of the few criminals that could outsmart Holmes is reduced to the role of love interest.

 To sum up, this is a very well made production and just goes to show that Ritchie can make good films. In fact, I’d go as far to say that he suits these big Hollywood blockbusters. It’s not perfect, that I should make clear, but there is something about it that creates a sense of unending fun. It keeps you in your seat the entire way through and demands a sequel.