The Robert Downey Jr Film Guide
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The Robert Downey Jr Film Guide |
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Sherlock Holmes (2009) |
Summary |
The Victorian detective and his sidekick punch and kick their way through a mystery involving a creepy occultist. |
Direction |
Guy Ritchie |
Downey Factor |
High |
Character |
Sherlock Holmes, a brilliant but unscrupulous detective |
Looks |
A bit shaggy. Normal for today but an odd match with tidy Victorian costuming. |
Performance |
Accessibly quirky, amusing, got Golden Globe Nomination |
Accent |
British |
Line |
... |
Love & Sex |
His interest in romance falls more on the side of disrupting Watson's relationship, but he also has a love-hate thing with the Rachel McAdams character. |
Dies, Gay or Villain |
No, vaguely, no. |
Other Actors |
Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong |
Location |
London |
RDJ Says |
[Guy Ritchie] was calling [Jude Law] "Hot-son" so he would say, "You alright Hotsie?" after a take. That became commonplace. Sometimes he would come in and tell me my hair looked like I was about to be in a Vegas show act and we had to fix it, that he would not allow me to look that ridiculous on camera. And often times, he would congratulate both of us on finally being able to deliver some sort of performance approaching heterosexual ... [Holmes and Watson] are two men who happen to be roommates, wrestle a lot and share a bed. It's bad-ass ... Guy Ritchie said I was too old [for the part]. I love him for that. Then I think they showed him the gross receipts for Iron Man ... usually I'm just saying 'We had this great chemistry' about a female co-star, and now I'm saying the same thing about Jude. It's like we should be doing romantic comedies together or something. This film is a love affair of sorts and the two of us knew when to yin and when to yang. We were definitely good together ... It hasn't been since Chaplin that I had something where I felt how iconic a character is in the collective unconscious. So, I just assumed that to win the respect of people to play this guy, I had to put that out of my mind right off the bat ... The deeper you go into [the character], the more elusive he is. When you come up against a character so revered, the only thing you can do is sink into it, not even try to swim. That said, when people ask me about Holmes, I'm still able to say, "Well, actually, you know, he never had a curved pipe." |
Lit Reference |
Arthur Conan Doyle's novels and short stories |
Hot Link |
Official Site |
Release |
25 December 2009 |
Availability |
In theaters |
Rotten Tomatoes |
70% Fresh | 168 Reviews |
Critical View |
A.O. Scott, New York Times: Best of all is the banter between Mr. Downey and Mr. Law, who is looser and more mischievous than he’s allowed himself to be in quite some time ... They really do [like girls] in spite of the barely sublimated physical passion they manifest for each other in nearly every scene. I’m sure Warner Brothers would like me to change the subject and tell you about the amazing diabolical conspiracy that tests Holmes’s ingenuity. Owen Gleiberman,Entertainment Weekly: The best thing in the movie is Downey. As Holmes, he's rumpled and amusingly jittery, an investigator who lives on his own plane of perception and can scarcely be bothered with anyone else's. There's an authentic Sherlockian intensity about him. |
2 Reasons to See It |
1. The chemistry between Downey and Jude Law. 2. Admit it, you want to know how Lord Blackwood rose from the dead. |
Overall |
Despite a convoluted and irrelevent plot, this is an entertaining movie that feels like a more violent, Victorian version of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. |
If You Like It |
You might also like Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005), Iron Man (2008) |
Photos |
Video |