Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

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Cast & Crew

Robert Downey Jr.
Sherlock Holmes

Jude Law
Dr. John Watson

Noomi Rapace
Madam Simza Heron

Rachel McAdams
Irene Adler

Jared Harris
Professor James Moriarty

Stephen Fry
Mycroft Holmes

Paul Anderson
Col. Sebastian Moran

Kelly Reilly
Mary Watson

Geraldine James
Mrs. Hudson

Eddie Marsan
Inspector Lestrade

Guy Ritchie
Director

Michele Mulroney
Screenwriter

Kieran Mulroney
Screenwriter

Joel Silver
Producer

Lionel Wigram
Producer

Susan Downey
Producer

Dan Lin
Producer

Bruce Berman
Executive Producer

Steve Clark-Hall
Executive Producer

Philippe Rousselot
Cinematographer

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News & Interviews for Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Critic Reviews for Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Audience Reviews for Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

• Apr 28, 2021

  Just as fun and visually inventive as the first one. Really wish Ritchie was making more of these himself.
  

  Alec B Super Reviewer
• Mar 22, 2016

  Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows might feel like the same for some, but in my opinion I like this slightly more than the first film. It has the great performances, action and fun that made the first one so awesome.
  Mr N Super Reviewer
• Aug 25, 2013

  For the record, I do remember enjoying the first Sherlock Holmes movie starring Robert Downey Jr. as the eponymous sleuth, liking most of the performances and the action. But in the interval, there has been one great('Sherlock') and one very good('Elementary') modern day updates of the great detective to the small screen which also served to remind us all that Holmes is much more about solving a puzzle than saving the world. And even without that, I still don't think "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" would merit a recommendation, as it resembles nothing more than an out of control train ride while being on a huge amount of medications, centering on a central scheme that is both grandiose and banal.(Not recommended, by the way.) Since it desperately tries to cram in as much comedy and action as much as humanly possible(including one very unfortunate scene involving Stephen Fry), I'm not sure what happens at the start of the movie. Basically, any recollection of a plot starts with Sherlock taking the opportunity of Watson's(Jude Law) stag party to visit Simza(Noomi Rapace), a fortune teller, before 43 separate fights start. So, it's no surprise that the best scene in the movie is the wedding as it expresses so much about the characters' true reltionships while providing a much needed quiet moment. The climax by comparison does not quite work whereas the final confrontation between Holmes and Moriarty(Jared Harris, an uninspired casting) works out much better, if too little, too late.
  Walter M Super Reviewer
• Mar 09, 2013

  Having heard many a negative review of this film I was pleasantly surprised and entertained by this 2nd offering of Downey Jr. as Conan Doyle's famous detective. It was established in the first film that Downey's Holmes is much more the action figure than the text intended, but if you can forgive that, then this film, as the first, is solid and entertaining. Director Guy Ritchie as usual does tend to teeter into excess in his style over substance approach (he doesn't really give you the chance to be fully absorbed in the film... ie. Forgetting that you are watching a film - mainly due to his overuse of camera techniques; in particular the stop action/slow mo/fast mo that dates back to the Matrix films - especially in a overly long "escape" scene with the heroes running through the woods as bullets fly around them). It is this scene and a couple of others that could have used a bit of judicious editing to prevent the film from bogging down - but that being said, the chess match (real and metaphorical) between Holmes and arch villain Moriarty (a wonderful turn by Richard Harris' son Jared) certainly makes for compelling viewing. Ritchie also uses an interesting technique to let you "inside" Holmes' brain. Showing us how and why he will execute certain maneuvers and assessing their potential - and then showing us the action and the result in real time. This could be off-putting to some, but I found it a stroke of brilliance; especially at the film's climax when Holmes' "thoughts" are interrupted by Moriarty. A kind of "well, if you do this, then I'll do that" bit of sophistry akin to thinking 3 moves ahead on a chess board. This film, as was the case with its predecessor, has a fair amount of humor (the scene with Holmes aboard a pony was laugh out loud funny), and really - it's this insertion of humor that tells you that you are watching "entertainment" - that Ritchie knew going in that this was not something to be treated in utmost seriousness. There are a few other flaws that I tend to overlook - for example Jude Law's Watson overemphasizes his war wound limp at film's beginning... which of course totally disappears when the script needs him to transform into an action hero. There is also the rather hackneyed sentiments about Watson's wedding and how that will allegedly effect Holmes - you kind of role your eyes and move on to the meat of the matter - the sublime cat and mouse game between Holmes and Moriarty - ignore the rest and you will be totally entertained.
  paul s Super Reviewer

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