I really didn't want to see this.
Guy Ritchie made one good film (Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels in case you didn't know) and since then has made a succession of very, very poor immitations. He was also responsible for "Swept Away" starring his ex-wife; Madonna, which is a strong contender for the worst film ever.
However, here Ritchie has shown himself to be a director capable of great things. This is a wonderful slice of action-adventure cinema with some genuine laugh out loud moments and charm to boot. Robert Downey Jnrs Holmes is a rogue with a mind so quick and so brilliant that nothing escapes him and Jude Law turns in a performance which, for once, didn't leave me with the strong desire to find him and punch him in his face.
The feel is more "Indiana Jones" than it is Basil Rathbone but this is Holmes for the new millenium and it works gloriously. It's not going to win any Oscars and plenty of people will sniff at it but it left me feeling genuinely pleased about having seen it. It's a boys own adventure and I can't wait for the sequel.
I'm quite up for this as well, even though I usually prefer watching films starring Hugh Grant as the bumbling Englishman. I disagree though about GR. I thought 'Snatch' (2000) was his best effort; just a very funny film with great actors. Overall, there's no doubting the director uses his own experiences when it comes to facing grizzly, messy situations, such as waking up next to Madonna.
ReplyDeleteAndrew-Henry Bowie
I didn't really "get" Snatch Andrew. It just seemed like "Lock Stock" but with added Gypsy. Agree entirely about waking up next to Madonna...that said I'd rather that than waking up next to Guy Ritchie!
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