Robert Downey Jr.’s ability to simultaneously serve as an action hero, a serious dramatist and a sly comedian has driven his two big-budget franchises, Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes. Downey brings all his talents to bear again here as the brilliant sleuth pitted this time against his most famous nemesis, Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris), who’s bought up a stockpile of munitions and wants to reap the financial benefits by starting a world war. The bickering banter between Holmes and steadfast partner Dr. Watson (Jude Law) is the highlight of a film that runs out of steam once it exchanges a wonderfully imagined 1890s London and heads for France and Germany. Director Guy Ritchie wants big action, but the more bullets he sends flying, the more he stalls the momentum.
This article appears in Dec 15-21, 2011.