Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Robert Downey Jr. seizes to amaze me. He is one of the the select few actors I would and could see in any film and, at least, be somewhat entertained because he was in it. Not very many others I could say that about. This is definitely the case with "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows", although I did like this film.

When Austria's crown prince is found dead, evidence seems to point to suicide. However, detective Sherlock Holmes (Downey Jr.) deduces that the prince was murdered and that the crime is but a piece of a puzzle designed by an evil genius named Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris). Holmes and his friend Dr. John Watson (Jude Law), who are accompanied by a gypsy (Noomi Rapace) whose life Holmes saved, and at times Holmes' brother, Mycroft (Stephen Fry), chase Moriarty across Europe in the hope that they can thwart his plot before it can come to fruition.

Others to round out the cast are Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler, the first accomplice to Moriarty, Kelly Reilly as Mary Watson, Paul Anderson as Colonel Sebastian Moran, and Eddie Marson as Inspector Lestrade.

This was richly directed by Guy Ritchie ("Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" '98, "Snatch" 2000, "Swept Away" '02, "Revolver" '05, "Suspect" (TV movie) '07, "RocknRolla" '08, "Sherlock Holmes" '09). This guy can take what would seemingly be an ordinary story or plot and put just enough grit and quirkiness to keep your attention until the end. This was written by Michele Mulroney and Kieran Mulroney based on characters: Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This was slightly long-in-the-tooth, but was still intriguing enough to grab you, however it could've easily been confined to a 2 hour running time and still would've been fine.

The photography will surely be nominated come Oscar time, but considering the veteran Philippe Rousselot, afc/asc ("Hope and Glory" '87, "The Bear" '88, "Dangerous Liaisons" '88, "Henry & June" '90, "The Miracle" '91, "A River Runs Through It" '92, "Sommersby" '93, "Interview With the Vampire: The Vampire's Chronicles" '94, "Mary Reilly" '96, "Instinct" '99, "Remember the Titans" 2000, "Planet of the Apes" '01, "Big Fish" '03, "Constantine" '05, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" '05, "THe Brave one" '07, "The Great Debaters" '07, "Sherlock Holmes" '09, "Peacock" '10, "Larry Crowne" '11) shot it, it's no surprise of its expertise. The gritty shots coupled with the slow motion process was simply brilliant and certainly added to the feel of the story.

If you want to go to a film and just be purely entertained with great visuals and photography, not to mention, having fun with Downey as he and others run around Europe, you will revel with this. Just to see Downey doing something he is having fun with is certainly worth the price tag.

Out of 4 stars: 3.5                         Rated: PG-13                         129min.