Rating of
3/4
A Game Of Shadows Is Worth Investigating
MovieMike - wrote on 12/22/11
It’s hard to believe that it has been about two years since Robert Downey Jr’s first outing as the heroic Sherlock Holms. In ‘A Game of Shadows’, Downey and his ever-present sidekick, Watson (Jude Law) are returned to a familiar setting, but with enough new elements to make this sequel a standout in it’s own right. If nothing else, you can’t help but marvel at this film’s overall look and feel. Returning director, Guy Ritchie (‘Lock, Stock, And Two Smoking Barrels’, ‘Rock-n-Rolla’) has equaled or improved his representation of Europe in the late 1800’s where emerging technologies (such as the automobile) mix with an old world backdrop.
‘A Game Of Shadows’ has Holms following the moves of the nefarious Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris in an excellent interpretation of the role). Holms is sure that the Professor is planning some vicious plot, and tries to convince Watson that they should investigate. The more even-tempered Dr Watson has his own concerns in planning for his pending nuptials. From there, the audience is increasingly drawn in as additional twists and turns present themselves along the way.
Director Guy Ritchie, known for his action films, manages to kick up the action aspect of this film in an interesting way. Not content with typical shoot-outs, the script manages to incorporate cannons to punctuate some of the short-range fighting sequences. There is also the presentation of Holm’s analytical approach to things and Ritchie effectively communicates this with a series of slow motion or stop frame shots that reveal Sherlock’s deductive reasoning.
This time around, Downey’s portrayal of Sherlock Holms is not quite as dark and self destructive, but he still exhibits his typical disregard for normal conventions and etiquette; tempering the scorn of others with his witty commentary. Having watched Downey a couple times as both Tony Stark (‘Iron Man’) and Sherlock Holms, you can’t help but draw a number of parallels between the two characters. It’s pretty rare when an actor can establish themselves in not just one, but two potential film franchises.
Rachel McAdams reprises her role as Irene Adler, but is only present for a couple scenes. Swedish actress Noomi Rapace jumps in as Madam Simza Heron, a gypsy who unwittingly gets tangled up in the investigation. Rapace won rave reviews for her performance as Lizbeth Salander in the original ‘Girl With The Dragon Tatoo’ (2009). Unfortunately for us, other than her initial exchange with Holms, she’s given very little material to work with here. Another delightful addition is Stephen Fry as Holm’s brother Mycroft. While not a sleuth himself, his lack of boundaries and arrogance is equal or better to that of his dear brother ‘Sherley’.
If you’ve not see the previous installment, not to worry, this film stands on it’s own and should give you reason to seek out that eponymous title on DVD once you’ve seen this one. If you did see that film, you will enjoy this one as much if not more so – I know I did! As Watson says at one point: “Oh, how I've missed you, Holmes.”
