Sherlock Holmes is a caper through and through. What makes it ever more appealing is the times it is set in - the most romantic age of British history, the
Victorian era. The London is at the heights of immorality as the multitude
is liberated and is prompted to put up their middle finger, possibly two, to the social mores at the slightest provocation. The vice is ruling the roost. The
metropolis is crawling with thieves, pickpockets, charlatans, bootleggers, cardsharps, gutter-snipes, harlots, high-class mistresses, philandering aristocrats and every other miscreant imaginable. Industrial revolution is at its peak and literature is at its most vibrant.
Such a backdrop is an ideal stage for Guy Ritchie who is known to revel in the
local cockney flair of humor and mischief and true to his skill indeed maneuvers deftly his doctor-detective duo through the infamous narrow alleys and dockyards of London.
The film is real fun and this reviewer has nearly made it to the last. I disagree
with his endorsement of Downey Jr for the role of Sherlock which demands a special roguish, English eccentricity but would concede as much that RDJr is not bad either. Jude Law is perfect as Watson and oozes charm. Mark Strong is an apt Blackwood. None other among the cast disappoints. Hans Zimmer is at the top of his game and his inclusion of the Irish pub song "Rocky Road to Dublin" for the closing credits is a decent parting shot.
All in all, a jolly film. Good job - zulfinesse.