Gordon & Barbara in Paris

Gordon & Barbara in Paris
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Sunday, January 8, 2012

SHERLOCK HOLMES--GAME OF SHADOWS

SHERLOCK HOLMES & The Game of Shadows--Directed by Guy Ritchie. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Jared Harris/written by Michele Mulroney & Kieran Mulroney/from the characters and story created by Arthur Conan Doyle/PG-13/2hr35min

Bifocal Reviews by Barbara and Gordon Rich

(B) I had such a terrible headache when I viewed this film, so my review may be tainted. For me it was a series of one adventure, explosion, chase and disguise after another. In my head, all this ran together like a runaway train. There were great special effects, scenery and costumes. I recommend that you try and see this one, without a headache. I give this one a three because Robert Downey and Jude Law’s performances were at least as good as the first one, but I would have preferred a little more clever dialogue and less action.

(G) I’m just going to say it slowly…I LOVE what Guy Ritchie is doing in these films and I am a huge fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s great hero, in the original version. I don’t mind what was done in the television versions, but I know that there has been definitely something lost in the translation, especially in regards to Doctor Watson, that Conan Doyle may not have liked. In these latest versions, not only does Robert Downey Jr. always add a sparkle to any character he undertakes, but Jude Law’s interpretation of the Dr. Watson character is much more interesting than the bungler we’ve been subjected to on the screen until this point. I think Conan Doyle would stand up and applaud, if he wasn’t dead for more than 80 years.
I believe, also that the detailed, slow motion, prefight, blow-by-blow analysis of every fisticuffs battle is something that Doyle would also appreciate, once he got over the shock of the range of this new medium. I’ve heard this technique criticized as unnecessarily time consuming, but it allows a layman a chance to see exactly how the super sleuth’s mind is always a step or several ahead of every adversary. I applaud Ritchie for sticking with his vision. I give this one four out of five binoculars and can’t wait for the next one.

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