Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows can be “read” in various ways, but overall it’s an entertaining action film, if occasionally annoying due to a directorial style which verges on the self-indulgent and incoherent.

As is my wont, I missed the first Guy Ritchie-Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock Holmes adaptation, so this particular incarnation of the famed detective is new to me.  Raised as I was on the Basil Rathbone films and the original stories with their Sidney Paget illustrations, Downey’s manic, baby-faced Sherlock comes as a bit of a shock.  While the character of Dr. Watson has evolved in popular culture over the years from the avuncular Nigel Bruce to the current, handsome-young-fellow played by Jude Law, the image of Sherlock Holmes himself has remained reasonably consistent, at least in the major versions: a bit reserved, superior, introspective, confident.  Downey’s Holmes bears little resemblance to Conan Doyle’s creation or any of the subsequent versions on film.  If I were a purist I might have been offended, but it’s easier to simply mentally re-name the character as one is watching the movie, and thus forget about any liberties taken with the original Sherlock Holmes.

This Sherlock Holmes does have amazing powers of ratiocination and observation and deduction, but—thanks to that directorial “style” mentioned earlier—he appears to be psychic rather than highly intelligent.  The “predictive” flash-forwards become increasingly incoherent and pointless, a sort of gibberish film-language which is neither used consistently nor logically.  The hyper-stylisation of the action sequences is at least less confusing—we can figure out what’s going on—though the stop-start, slow-fast stuff has long since worn out its welcome.  On rare occasions the images at least have an intrinsic value of their own, such as the fascinating shots of artillery shells shattering some trees in a German forest, but this doesn’t make them any less artificial and disruptive to the narrative flow of the film.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows has the usual Holmesian supporting cast—Dr. Watson, Mrs. Hudson, Inspector Lestrade (very minor role), Irene Adler, Mycroft Holmes, Professor Moriarity—and the film concludes with the famous plunge into the Reichenbach Falls, but the characterisations, situations and the breakneck pace are more reminiscent of a steampunk Mission Impossible than classic Conan Doyle.  That’s not necessarily bad—Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is two hours long but seems shorter, has a fair amount of humour (and even some wit), is lavishly produced and moderately well-written, with decent internal logic (not to say the clues to the overall plot are obvious, but at least when revealed they don’t provoke incredulous anger on the part of the audience).

    A chain of mysterious murders and explosions draws Sherlock Holmes and the reluctant Dr. Watson (reluctant, because he was supposed to be on his honeymoon) into Professor Moriarity’s web of international political intrigue.  Holmes and Watson are joined by gypsy Madame Sim, whose missing brother is somehow connected to the plot.  The intrepid trio leaps from England to France to Germany to Switzerland, always a step behind the cultured but cruel criminal mastermind, until the final confrontation…

Although Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is paced quite well, moving from location to location (and action set-piece to action set-piece) with alacrity, there are a few more sedate moments and, to be fair, some padding.  Still, it’s enjoyable enough, given the posh production design (visually, this a splendid piece of work), the genial performances, and at least some of the action sequences (the ones where the audience can actually see and understand what’s going on).  Robert Downey Jr. is spritely in the hero’s role, albeit slightly buffoonish at times (his disguises are deliberately transparent this time around, although his “urban camouflage” suits are good for a smile).  His Sherlock Holmes is a far cry from the standard model, but it’s also miles away from his turn as Tony Stark/Iron Man, so Downey’s acting prowess is not to be doubted: he purposely plays Holmes the way he does, not because he’s incapable of doing it “traditionally.”  Jude Law is very good as Watson, while Jared Harris is appropriately suave and sinister as Moriarity.  Noomi Rapace’s international profile was raised by her appearances as Lisbeth Salander in original The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and its sequels, so it’s interesting to see her here.  Her spoken English is adequate and she is capable in the role of gypsy Sim—although the script has her stuffing her face with food in half of her footage, it seems—but she’s not particularly distinctive.

In sum—despite the overly-mannered direction—a good script, lavish production values, and competent performances make Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows fast and furious and funny enough to make two hours pass pleasantly.