It's a pleasure to see the intoxicating Rupert Everett as the intoxicated Sherlock Holmes, but the pleasure soon ends. Built with 19th century characters and a 21st century psycho-babble plot line, there are plot holes and mineral-oil fog you could drive a coach-and-six through. And the anachronisms! Watson (Ian Hart) refuses to tell Holmes pertinent information to get back at Holmes' withholding (and thereby further the plot) and manages to outrun Sherlock's coach to get to a crime scene (what with his war wound from India and all) and perform CPR on a victim 50 years before even mouth-to-mouth was invented.
That said, hurrah to Tiger Aspect and the BBC for reviving the Holmes legend with gorgeous cinematography and a budget worthy of costume mystery; here's hoping they'll try again but stick to the beloved Conan Doyle stories, or employ a technical adviser to patch up the plot holes. ** 1/2 out of **** stars
That said, hurrah to Tiger Aspect and the BBC for reviving the Holmes legend with gorgeous cinematography and a budget worthy of costume mystery; here's hoping they'll try again but stick to the beloved Conan Doyle stories, or employ a technical adviser to patch up the plot holes. ** 1/2 out of **** stars