"Sherlock Holmes"

I grew up reading the mysteries of Sherlock Holmes and watching the various television and film versions of the super sleuth’s adventures. I bought my ticket with the hope of being whisked away into the foggy streets of 1890’s London with that giddy boyhood feeling I used to get. Guy Ritchie puts his signature on the first fifteen minutes of the film with his trademark narration and frenetic style, smoothing out the bumps just before I had to reach for my anti-seizure medication. Then I was in it. The smile creeping onto my face. Bravo to Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer for their incredible production design and set decoration (respectively).

Much as he was the anti-hero in Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. is the anti-Holmes in this modern update. He’s slovenly, unhygienic, boorish and devilish. A far cry from Basil Rathbone’s upper crust and gentlemanly portrayal of the character. But it works. At least for me it does. He is perfectly believable in the role, British accent, six-pack abs, penchant for underground boxing and all, and delightful to watch as always. Jude Law is Dr. John Watson and I actually liked him in this part. After growing weary of his over saturation in recent years, I found myself back on the right side of the Law. His chemistry with Downey is undeniable, filled with great banter and sprinkled with undertones of true caring and friendship. Mark Strong’s strength comes from his subtlety in his wonderfully evil performance as the villainous Lord Blackwood while Eddie Marsan gives a notable performance as Inspector Lestrade. Unfortunately Rachel McAdams seems to fire and misfire as Irene Adler. Her character is the object of Holmes’ affections; mainly because of the way she handles herself in a street fight. And I could see why when those scenes played out onscreen. But in the more intimate scenes, I felt she lacked a certain sultriness. It almost felt as though she was withholding. Perhaps intimidated in the presence of Robert Downey Jr.’s greatness.

Holmes must track down a criminal mastermind who has seemingly come back from the dead. Meanwhile, Watson, who is trying to distance himself from his partner in the interest of getting married, keeps getting drawn back into the mystery and intrigue of the case. The movie is filled with some very raw and very fun fight sequences immersed in a storyline that has everything from secret societies to the dark arts. It’s like Sam Spade walked into a Harry Potter movie.

The end result is a triumph for deductive reasoning and a triumph for Guy Ritchie. For me, Sherlock Holmes was most certainly worth the price of admission.

"Invictus"

This latest effort from megastar actor/director Clint Eastwood is just what the doctor ordered. At a time of world crisis when countries and governments and their respective people are at odds with one another, comes this incredible story of overcoming great obstacles.

The title, “Invictus”, comes from a poem by an English author named William Ernest Henley. Translated from the Latin, it means ‘unconquered’. The poem, about perseverance and being the master of one’s own destiny, was written from Henley’s hospital bed after his foot was amputated in an effort to save his life from the clutches of Tuberculosis of the bone. Nelson Mandela had written this poem on a piece of scrap paper that he kept in his prison cell during his 27-year incarceration.

The film stars the inimitable Morgan Freeman as Mandela, and Matt Damon as Francois Pienaar, captain of the Springbok rugby team. Mandela is just beginning his term as president and Pienaar is the leader of a floundering team whose stigma is a product of apartheid. In an effort to unite his country, Mandela enlists the team captain to lead his gang of misfits to an unlikely victory at the 1995 Rugby World Cup. In the film, Mandela gives Pienaar the scrap paper poem in hopes that the words which kept him going for nearly three decades in prison, “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul”, would inspire Francois and the Springbok team to greatness. That, however, was not really what happened. Mandela had in actuality given Pienaar Teddy Roosevelt’s 1910 speech entitled “The Man In The Arena” (Google it… it’s worth reading). I for one will forgive Dirty Harry this minor imprecision.

I loved this movie. It was beautifully directed, capturing the time and the conflict and putting the audience right there in the scrimmage during the final rugby match (the slow-motion grunting was a nice touch). Even more so, it was wonderfully acted. Freeman is one of my favorite actors and easily in the top five of his generation. Damon was the big surprise for me. I almost always like him, but this time around, I thought his performance was even remarkable. And not just because I bought his South African accent either (I can do dozens of accents and impressions and can’t do South African). There were a few things I could have done without… namely a plotline that seemed to imply a looming assassination attempt, but I can understand that it made the film more appealing to the cold-hearted action movie fans who were dragged away from the insanely long “Avatar” lines to see a more sensitive film.

“Invictus” is as much about forgiveness as it is about beating insurmountable odds. It’s about looking forward and not looking back.

This movie is definitely worth the price of admission.