As a young movie fan I spent numerous days and hours
watching the classic Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce versions of Sherlock Holmes on
TV. These movies left a lasting impression on viewers for decades first when
they appeared in theaters and then when people like myself discovered them on
TV. Those 14 films they made were what we based our knowledge of the character
on. For me it wouldn’t be until later that I discovered the books on which they
were based.
Yes Sherlock Holmes has been with us in one form or another
for decades now. But we never hear about what happened later on in life, what
happened when Dr. Watson had passed away and Sherlock got older. That is until
now. With the new movie MR. SHERLOCK we get a glimpse of what might have
happened. It’s a wonderful film that discusses both what happens when we age
and what becomes of our heroes. And like those movies that inspired a search
for the real Holmes stories my guess is this movie will make viewers seek out A
SLIGHT TRICK OF THE MIND by Mitch Cullin on which the movie is based.
The year is 1947 and Holmes (Ian McKellen) is retired now,
living in a Sussex village and tending to his bee colony. His life is less
adventurous and he’s assisted in his home by his housekeeper Mrs. Munro (Laura
Linney) and her young son Roger (Milo Parker). A bit on the cantankerous side
now, Holmes softens when young Milo takes an interest in helping him with his
bees. For a character who based his life on rational thinking with little or no
emotion, he now finds himself faced with feelings that have long been buried.
His fatherly affection for the young boy whose real father died in the war
provide him with the impetus to do more than just get by.
While his exploits gained him notoriety due to the literary
license used by his chronicler Dr. Watson, Holmes always felt he got things
wrong. In particular the one case that has bothered him the most was his last
one which he feels didn’t tell the truth. But as he has aged so has he taken on
the problems that entails. His memory is fading. The details of that last case
elude him. With the friendship of young Milo Holmes is invigorated and begins
to recall things he’d forgotten. Before the film ends the details of that last
case will be remembered and the reason for much of why he’s become who he is at
this point is revealed.
What has always made Sherlock such an interesting character
has been his ability to perceive the world around him in an analytical nature.
And yet at the same time he was rarely able to see his own faults, in
particular this lack of emotion. When it did occur it usually resulted in some
tragedy and in the case of this film that potential happens with two different
incidents, one in the past and one in the present. But this concept that Holmes
always considered a flaw was what in reality made him the best detective that
he was. While he never showed that he cared, deep down he did.
McKellen is magnificent in the role, bringing to life the
character at his deepest roots. Not to discredit those who have played the part
in the past but their versions were always the man on the hunt, the deductive
man of action in search of a criminal. McKellen is left to play a man who is
aging whose nemesis is not a human being but himself and his slowly digressing
mind and body. He brings to life a character we know and yet don’t know at the
same time.
The supporting cast also does a fantastic job here. Linney
is wonderful as a woman dealing with her loss while at the same time trying to
provide for a child she loves dearly. Parker as Roger is an amazing talent for
his age and fills the shoes of this boy too young to know the legend of
Sherlock Holmes while at the same time having an adulation for the older man
who he shares a home with. It could have been played as far too precocious but
he does a great job here.
Those who are looking for the pace of the recent Robert
Downey Jr. films will be disappointed, that’s not what this film is all about.
But fans of the real Sherlock Holmes will adore this film. The pacing is slow
but the story is what matters. And there is plenty of story to go around in
this film. It’s one that fans of Holmes will want to watch more than once. I
know I intend to.
Click here to order.
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