Mr. Holmes

I have spoken often about franchise films, but when it comes to the most 'franchised' fictional character in film history, it has got to be Sherlock Holmes. We've have seen many incarnations of this character in our past: "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" '84, "Young Sherlock Holmes" '85, "Sherlock" '02, "Sherlock Holmes" '09, "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" '11 and a plethora of others too numerous to list. So, what have we not seen when it comes to this most famous detective? An aging, retired life of him, of course, in the form of "Mr. Holmes".

This is a new twist on the world's most notorious detective. 1947. An aging Sherlock Holmes (Ian McKellan) returns from a journey to Japan, where, in search of a rare plant with powerful restorative properties, he has witnessed the devastation of nuclear warfare. Now, in his remote seaside farmhouse in a Sussex village, Holmes faces the end of his days tending to his bees, with only the company of his housekeeper, Mrs. Munro (Laura Linney) and her young son, Roger (Milo Parker). Grappling with the diminishing powers of his mind, Holmes comes to rely upon the boy as he revisits the circumstances of the unsolved case that forced him into retirement, and searches for answers to the mysteries of life and love... before it's too late.

Others to round out the cast are Hiroyuki Sanada as Tamiki Umezaki, Hattie Morahan as Ann Kelmot, Patrick Kennedy as Thomas Kelmot, Ann's husband, Roger Allam as Dr. Barrie, Phil Davis as Inspector Gilbert, Frances del la Tour as Madame Schirmer, Charles Maddox as Oswald, Takako Akashi as Maya Umezaki, Tamiki's wife and John Sessions as Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's brother.

This was superbly and sublimely directed by the incomparable Bill Condon ("Gods and Monsters" '98, "Kinsey" '04, "Dreamgirls" '06, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn- Part 1" '11, "Tilda" (TV movie) '11, "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn- Part 2" '12, "The Fifth Estate" '13). His staging and pacing in this, especially by McKellan and Linney was perfection; of course when one has two actors as these pros are, how could any director go wrong? It was solidly written by Jeffrey Hatcher based on the novel, "A Slight Trick of the Mind" by Mitch Cullin which is based on characters created by Arthur Conan Doyle. Mind you, Hatcher doesn't have a ton of experience under his belt, but with the TV and a couple of solid theatrical films completed, this guy has paid his dues. There were a couple of slow areas, and a couple of places of choppiness, but all in all, he exceled well with this particular storyline of the aged Holmes, and with this he will undoubtedly receive more work his way. As stated above, what can I say about both McKellan and Linney, except that their performances were first rate. McKellan certainly may be looking at a nod come Oscar time. The nuances of this aged, sickly, retired detective, showing signs of forgetfulness, but at times sharp as a tack was not only real, but was convincingly portrayed by McKellan. I was in awe of his performance.

Considering this is a English period film, those of you who revel with these types of films, will be in film heaven. If the storyline seems a bit slow, the acting will more than compensate as you watch this. Good direction and excellent acting is given here for those who enjoy the study of filmmaking.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                     Rated: PG                                     104mins.