Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Film Review

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows picks up on Ritchie’s stylish and humorous reinvention, with (mostly) enjoyable success.

In another sense, however, his ubiquity in our contemporary English and American imagination can also provide a sense of freedom for a contemporary filmmaker: since we can’t say anything new, we don’t need to necessarily try. We can simply use the unendingly accessible and enjoyable template and structure to embrace a particular filmic style, or explore a particular interest through Holmes’ magnifying glass.

In some cases, these modern riffs on the detective fail miserably: 2018’s Holmes and Watson, a reuniting of Step Brothers best friends Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, was more a crime against the famous pair than a compelling exploration of their crime-solving acumen. T.V. adaptations, like Hugh Laurie’s medical spin on the character in House, add some modern flourishes that go down like a good bit of medicine. This version–the latter of Guy Ritchie’s 21st century explorations of the character–lands squarely in the middle, a manically kinetic entry to the ever-growing detective’s canon.

After the roaring success of Ritchie’s first Sherlock Holmes film, which grossed over $500 million globally, a sequel was an obvious choice for Warner Bros., and so Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law were called back to crack another case. This latest edition finds Sherlock attempting to unravel his greatest mystery yet: marriage. Confounded by Watson’s impulsion to marry Mary (Keilly Reilly), he lives in denial, neglecting his duties as best man while awaiting the impending loss of his best friend and partner in crime (solving). Though Holmes’s stubborn critiques of women and marriage often irritate Watson, he can’t resist being pulled into another intriguing mystery. 

Amid swigs of formaldehyde and dabs of poison—playful nods to the drug use in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original novels—Holmes uncovers what he believes is a vast conspiracy involving a respected and brilliant Oxford don, Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris). Moriarty is at every level the criminally intellectual match to Holmes, working amidst the shadows of European tensions to create a demand for war materials that he can profit greatly from, given his owning and managing of a massive munitions factory. After a humorous and action packed run-in with some of Moriarty’s goons on their honeymoon train, Mr. and Mrs. Watson are thrust back into partnership with their infamous friend, the only ones standing in the way of a bonafide world war. 

Ritchie repeats many of his characteristically stylish flourishes to great effect in A Game of Shadows: in particular, his return to the slow-motion, anticipatory “flash-forwards” illustrating Holmes’ meticulous attention to detail–while also revealing his ability to defeat enemies who would otherwise physically crush him–is a blast to watch. More than this, the chemistry between the two leads remains a high point of this second film: Downey and Law’s comedic timing, line deliveries, knowing glances and sarcastic jabs hit the audience as quickly as the bullets that whizz by them throughout, creating an intellectually stimulating journey for the audience along the way. 

The action, for as literally torturous as it can be at times, never loses sight of the fun it is having. It doesn’t progress too far without a thoughtful quip, mental joust (particularly between Moriarty and Holmes), or funnily absurd disguise. In this sense, what the film lacks in substance, it more than makes up for in style. While the mystery itself is neither particularly inventive nor always convincingly solved, the film compensates with a thrilling, visually stunning romp across Europe—once again showcasing Ritchie’s sharp visual flair and knack for cinematic eye candy.

Kieran and Michele Mulroney’s script also plays on the oft-cited (though unproven) literary theory that Holmes and Watson’s relationship carries with it romantic or even homoerotic undertones, using such ideas to great effect in Ritchie’s tightly-wound, witty world. The result may not be a traditionalist’s dream for a Sherlock story, but if one can set aside some of the deviations of these modern twists on the classic characters and simply pick up a bowl of popcorn instead, they’ll be pleased with the game that is afoot.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is now available to watch on digital and on demand.

Loud and Clear Reviews has an affiliate partnership with Apple, so we receive a share of the revenue from your purchase or streaming of the films when you click on some of the links on this page. This won’t affect how much you pay for them and helps us keep the site free for everyone.