Mr. Holmes

Critics Consensus

Mr. Holmes focuses on the man behind the mysteries, and while it may lack Baker Street thrills, it more than compensates with tenderly wrought, well-acted drama.

89%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 183

70%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 32,420
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Movie Info

MR HOLMES is a new twist on the world's most famous detective. 1947, an aging Sherlock Holmes returns from a journey to Japan, where, in search of a rare plant with powerful restorative qualities, he has witnessed the devastation of nuclear warfare. Now, in his remote seaside farmhouse, Holmes faces the end of his days tending to his bees, with only the company of his housekeeper and her young son, Roger. 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. (C) Roadside Attractions

Cast

Ian McKellen
as Sherlock Holmes
Laura Linney
as Mrs. Munro
Milo Parker
as Roger
Hiroyuki Sanada
as Mr. Umezaki
Hattie Morahan
as Ann Kelmot
Patrick Kennedy
as Thomas Kelmot
Nicholas Rowe
as Matinee Sherlock Holmes
Colin Starkey
as Dr. John Watson
Hermione Corfield
as Matinee "Ann Kelmot"
Frances de la Tour
as Madame Schirmer
Charlie Maddox
as Oswald
Sam Coulson
as Matinee Kelmot
Frances Barber
as Matinee Madame Schirmer
John Sessions
as Mycroft Holmes
Roger Allam
as Dr. Barrie
Philip Davis
as Inspector Gilbert
Madeleine Worrall
as The Haunted Woman
Sarah Crowden
as Mrs. Hudson
Nicolas Rowe
as Matinee "Sherlock"
Takako Akashi
as Maya
Zak Shukor
as Matsuda Umezaki
Michael Culkin
as Bank Manager
Charles Maddox
as Oswald
Kit Connor
as Boy - 10yrs
Zoe Rainey
as Boy's Mother
Eileen Davies
as Lady on Platform
David Foxxe
as Chemist
Oliver Devoti
as Ticket Agent
Spike White
as Joe Gilbert
Siobhan McSweeney
as Una Gilbert
Mike Burnside
as Ann's Solicitor
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Critic Reviews for Mr. Holmes

All Critics (183) | Top Critics (44) | Fresh (162) | Rotten (21)

  • As someone who neither hungers for yet another incarnation of this character nor understands why anyone would, I watched in subdued bafflement.

    Jul 22, 2015 | Full Review…

    Wesley Morris

    Grantland
    Top Critic

  • The mystery subplot lacks the ingenuity of the greatest Holmes stories, but McKellen excels, switching effortlessly between the reclusive beekeeper with a faltering memory and the elegant younger detective at the height of his powers.

    Jul 21, 2015 | Rating: B+ | Full Review…

    Devan Coggan

    Entertainment Weekly
    Top Critic

  • It's a gripping little tale, to be sure, but it's more than that. Somewhere in its tangle of timelines, false starts, and red herrings is a great truth about the unsolvable mystery of the human soul.

    Jul 19, 2015 | Full Review…

    Bilge Ebiri

    New York Magazine/Vulture
    Top Critic

  • Even those who've read the book can be startled by what happens in Mr. Holmes, while they're being moved by McKellen in a role he's come to late, but with his customary elegance.

    Jul 17, 2015 | Full Review…

    Bob Mondello

    NPR
    Top Critic

  • [An] intriguing if only semi-satisfying Sherlockian enterprise.

    Jul 17, 2015 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…

    Susan Wloszczyna

    RogerEbert.com
    Top Critic

  • The best of it, as in Condon's other movies, are the details of emotions, fleeting but just as quickly caught - true concern camouflaged by flashes of impatience, unutterable despair masquerading as simple grief.

    Jul 17, 2015 | Rating: 3.5/4

    Stephen Whitty

    Newark Star-Ledger
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (183)

Audience Reviews for Mr. Holmes

  • Aug 26, 2016
    Of course McKellen is fantastic. So are his costars. Charming story. Worthwhile for any Holmes fan. Others will enjoy a well made film.
    Morris N Super Reviewer
  • Mar 18, 2016
    Brilliant in its subtlety.
    Marcus W Super Reviewer
  • Jan 09, 2016
    An intriguing crime-drama, Mr. Holmes explores the elderly years of the world's most famous detective. Ian McKellen stars as an infirmed Sherlock Holmes who's retired to the countryside and is working on a memoir about his last case. McKellen's performance is rather interesting, and is quite different from the usually portrayals of the Holmes character. However the storytelling is rather weak, with a lot of nonlinear flashbacks that make the mystery kind of hard to follow. And the mystery itself doesn't seem to pose that much of a challenge or to be of any series importance. Somewhat of a subdued thriller, Mr. Holmes is a daring new interpretation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's beloved character but it's not very engaging.
    Dann M Super Reviewer
  • Dec 30, 2015
    Sherlock Holmes battles his failing memory as he tries to solve his last case, which still haunts him. The highlight of this film is the masterful work by Ian McKellen, whose take on an aging Holmes brings to mind the thesis of A Beautiful Mind: that intelligence can outwit the infirmities of the body. Despite his failing memory, Holmes attempts to retrain his brain to renew his deductive capacities, and yet in the lines of McKellen's face, we see the emotional toll these additional intellectual acrobatics work on him. The mystery plot is pedestrian, with a payoff that does not rival some of the classic Holmes mysteries, but in fairness, the film is about age and its ravages, not necessarily a typical whodunit. Overall, I like this take on Holmes, though I pray that they don't take it too far with an uninspired sequel.
    Jim H Super Reviewer
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