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I wasn't sure what to make of this film when I first saw the trailer. I was thinking that it was just going to be a film for entertainment. That is exactly what it was but I found the acting from Downey Jr. and Law absolutely brilliant!! This film reminded me a lot of Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow because it is set in the 1700-1800s; it is set in a dark background, it is a mystery film and Sherlock is a slightly similar kind of character as Ichabod Crane.
Robert Downey Jr. delivers another absolutely awesome performance! His career really is getting back on track again. Sherlock is a typical Robert Downey Jr. character to be honest because he is a rather witty character and is an absolute genius in other ways too. His performance is a lot like Johnny Depp's performance in Sleepy Hollow because as I've said, Ichabod and Holmes are quite similar. I think most people saw it for Robert Downey Jr. more than for its entertainment which is really good! His on-screen partnership with Jude Law was awesome! Law's performance as Dr. Watson was awesome as well. I never really liked Jude Law very much before but after seeing Sherlock Holmes, Cold Mountain and especially Closer, I am starting to really like his films now. This is a new kind of film for him and he did a fine job like Downey Jr. did. Rachel McAdam's performance wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be. I was quite disappointed with her involvement within the film because I felt like she wasn't involved as much as she should've been. Also, I didn't really like her character very much. Mark Strong was a villain who I had mixed feelings for. I mean, he was quite a scary, threatening character but I just don't think they should've "killed him" at the start of the film because Watson not realising that he had no pulse but was still alive was quite silly. It was irrelevant; to be honest, but as the film went on it worked which did please me.
Guy Ritchie tries something new. He usually does modern crime films but this time he did a mystery film set in the 1700s. Sherlock Holmes is still a crime film, though. I mean, if I hadn't read the film details before I watched it, I wouldn't have recognized this as a Guy Ritchie film at all. It was more Holmes than Ritchie which was mostly good because if Ritchie made it like he has done in the past with modern crime films, it would've really failed. I think this would have been a good Tim Burton film if not Richie. I think this because of the similarity between Sleepy Hollow and Sherlock Holmes.
Overall, Sherlock Holmes is a very entertaining film with intense action scenes and good comedy. I find it almost one of the best of 2009. I like Guy Richie even more as I watch more of his films. As for Robert Downey Jr., keep up these great performances!! If they are planning a Sherlock Holmes sequel, I shall look forward to it.
8/10
