Sherlock Holmes

This post is a little late in the day but so what?

Guy Ritchie, the man behind movies like 'Snatch' & 'Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels' has come up with a completely original take on Sherlock Holmes - which isn’t Sherlock Holmes as we know it, at all!!

Note I didn’t say Sherlock Holmes as we know ‘him’ b/c the essence of the character is retailed. He still relies on his trademark deductive logic to solve mysteries.

Guy Ritchie’s interpretation is less Sherlock and more Da Vinci Code-meets-James Bond. And I loved it. I thought it was an intelligent script and very well-made though A, who is a big Sherlock Holmes fan (he went to visit 221B Baker Street when he went to London!) didn’t like it for the same reason. Also, he hates James Bond :)

Seriously though, is it possible to not like James Bond??

Coming back to the movie, the things to absolutely devour were the homo-erotic relationship between Sherlock & Dr Watson (the sexual tension increased by the minute!), Jude Law who remains just as edible in any ‘avatar’ (Ha! Take that Cameron!) whether it’s the droolworthy Graham Simpkins of ‘The Holiday’ or the moustached, nerdy Dr Watson, the élan with which Robert Downey Jr. has portrayed the eccentricity of Sherlock (he's sunk his teeth into this role he has), and the intelligent humor. These characters remain unfazed even in the face of death and manage to infuse humor in the dreariest situations.

The biggest challenge when it comes to adapting characters that are widely loved and have a fan following from books or older movie series, and when you are also coming up with a completely original story, is to get people to like it. And I think Guy Ritchie has managed to do that - I’m yet to read a bad review of the movie.

Apparently, the producers of the movie are trying to get Brad Pitt to play Professor Moriarty, the villian, in the sequel to the movie which is due for release in 2011. Imagine Brad Pitt & Jude Law in the same frame!! Poor Robert Downey, Jr.

Well, I don't know whether they will actually be able to get Brad Pitt to play an evil character - which will be delicious by itself. What I do know is that the first intallment was gripping, fast-paced, witty and very typical Guy Ritchie. You’ll like it if you’ve liked his earlier work & aren’t too hung up on the Sherlock Holmes books. If you haven’t & you are (respectively), well you’re on your own then, my dear Watson :)