Entertainment
Guy Ritchie’s 2-Part Crime Thriller Is the Perfect Weekend Binge
Guy Ritchie has made a career with tightly edited crime movies, but his two-movie franchise has perfected the art of style. After cult classics like Snatch and Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, the filmmaker proved he could continue his crime brand on a larger budget scale. In 2009, he delivered the beginning of his highly entertaining Sherlock Holmes franchise.
Sir. Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic detective has been featured in many adaptations before, but none delivered Ritchie’s trademark sense of humor and delightful thrills. Robert Downey Jr. stars as the titular investigator, with Jude Law co-starring as his indomitable Watson. For two films, the duo exhibited a fun-filled friendship with more excitement than any previous attempt.
‘Sherlock Holmes’ Reinvents the Classic Detective
Sherlock Holmes purists may balk at the creative liberties Guy Ritchie’s films take, but that is precisely what makes them a perfect binge. While Sherlock Holmes and Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows are less cerebral than the subject material, these mysteries more than make up for that discrepancy. Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law’s chemistry is flawless as Holmes and Watson, and the decision to make their relationship the focal point of the series is paramount.
When the story begins, Watson and Holmes are at odds because the former decides to get married and leave their business behind. This, of course, is a promise that needs to be broken as the two embark on the mystery of an occultist who has supposedly risen from the dead. The push and pull between the characters is punctuated with witty one-liners and an impeccable score by Hans Zimmer. Visually breathtaking, the first Sherlock Holmes is more than its IP.
Viewers can round out their viewing experience with the sequel, Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows. This was the highly anticipated second movie that made good on its promise to incorporate the classic Holmes villain, Moriarty. Jared Harris is perfectly cast as Holmes’ adversary, who matches him for intelligence. Both features rush by at a clip, utilizing all the hallmarks of a great blockbuster. With a stacked cast including Yellowstone’s own Kelly Reilly, fans likely would have tuned in for countless sequels.
Game of Shadows ends with a book-accurate conclusion for Sherlock, though as many literature fans know, that was not the end for the great detective. Ritchie certainly left cinema-goers wanting more after the ending of the second film, which makes binge-watching the series even easier. The director went on to create even more big-scale pictures like Aladdin and The Man from U.N.C.L.E., but no one would question a decision to give these characters one last hurrah.
All these actors are still in high demand, and maybe even another sequel to the elite thriller could retcon Irene Adler’s controversial demise. Experience laughs, mystery, and an extremely engaging rendition of “The Rocky Road to Dublin” before Sinners’ Irish vampire did the jig. After all, the game is afoot.
Sherlock Holmes
- Release Date
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December 25, 2009
- Runtime
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129 minutes
- Writers
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Simon Kinberg, Anthony Peckham, Lionel Wigram, Michael Robert Johnson, Arthur Conan Doyle
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Robert Downey Jr.
Sherlock Holmes
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