Sherlock Holmes (2009)

★ 7.2 2h 9m 14,692 votes IMDb
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Eccentric consulting detective Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson battle to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy England.

Sherlock Holmes

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Cast

Robert Downey Jr.
Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes Age 61 · New York City, New York, USA Robert John Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1965), also known as RDJ, is an American actor. A son of a filmmaker, Robert Downey Sr and one of the highest-grossing actors of all time, his films as a leading...
Jude Law
Jude Law as Dr. John Watson Age 53 · Lewisham, London, England, UK David Jude Heyworth Law (born 29 December 1972) is an English actor. He began his career in British theatre before landing small roles in various television productions and feature films. Law gained i...
Rachel McAdams
Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler Age 47 · London, Ontario, Canada Rachel Anne McAdams (born November 17, 1978) is a Canadian actress. After graduating from a theatre degree program at York University in 2001, she worked in Canadian television and film productions, s...
Mark Strong
Mark Strong as Lord Henry Blackwood Age 62 · London, England, UK Mark Strong (born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia; 5 August 1963) is a British actor. He is best known for his film roles such as Prince Septimus in Stardust (2007), Archibald in RocknRolla (2008), Lord Hen...
Eddie Marsan
Eddie Marsan as Inspector Lestrade Age 57 · Stepney, East London, England, UK Edward Maurice Charles Marsan OBE (born 9 June 1968) is an English actor. He won the London Film Critics Circle Award and the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor for the f...
Robert Maillet
Robert Maillet as Dredger Age 56 · Georgetown, Ontario, Canada Robert Maillet (born October 26, 1969) is a Canadian actor and retired professional wrestler. He is known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1997 to 1999, where he performed und...

Audience Reviews

JPV852 7/10 Aug 28, 2020
Fun adaptation of the classic character played wonderfully by Robert Downey Jr. who has some nice banter with Jude Law's Holmes as well as the beautiful Rachel McAdams. I like Mark Strong but he doesn't have a whole lot to work with. It's also a bit long however I was entertained. **3.75/5**
Wuchak 7/10 Dec 12, 2021
_**Sherlock Holmes goes hyperkinetic action with impossible CGI**_

In Victorian London, Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) & Dr. Watson (Jude Law) enter into a clash of wits and brawn with a serial killing Lord involved in black magic who, apparently, has risen from the dead (Mark Strong). Rachel McAdams and Kelly Reilly play the women in the protagonists’ lives.

Directed by Guy Ritchie, “Sherlock Holmes” (2009) takes Arthur Conan Doyle’s popular Victorian detective and successfully morphs him into an action hero with rapid-fire dialogues and over-the-top thrills. It’s like an old Hammer flick on steroids, but it works as long as you can keep up with the snappy dialogues, which are often mumbled by Downey Jr. (so you’ll have to listen closely or use the subtitles).

The interesting thing about the character of Sherlock Holmes is his talent for making sweeping deductions based on the slightest details and this flick highlights that to amusing effect, like when Holmes easily assesses Watson’s fiancé at the restaurant (which is one of the movie’s best scenes). Speaking of the ladies, both Rachel McAdams and Kelly Reilly really shine here.

The film runs 2 hours, 8 minutes, and was shot in England.

GRADE: B
CinemaSerf 7/10 Aug 09, 2025
With the evil “Lord Blackwood” (Mark Strong) now safely strung up and cut down, “Sherlock Holmes” (Robert Downey Jr) and his Boswell “Dr. Watson” (Jude Law) are relaxed as the latter man plans his impending nuptials to “Mary” (Kelly Reilly). Of course, it being Victorian London, the next crime spree is never far away, only this time it concerns some of the highest-placed people in the government. What’s more, their former antagonist appears to have risen from the grave and resumed his previous, nefarious, habits. Pretty swiftly, our sleuth deduces a certain connection with the Grand Lodge, and is almost as quickly embroiled in a complex series of scenarios that could rock the very fabric of the British Empire. Just to add to his woes, erstwhile belle “Irene Adler” (Rachel McAdams) shows up and what’s the betting she has a plan all of her own? Though the CGI elements of this have dated somewhat, this is still a quirkily constructed crime drama that allows RDJ to present a cerebrally entertaining and frequently quite pithy characterisation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s fastidious detective. His slightly aloof methods irritate his friend, “Watson” but nowhere nearly as effectively as they do that of Scotland Yard’s finest “Lestrade” (Eddie Marsan) who is on solid form here. Law is ok, no better than that, and McAdams doesn’t really feature enough to make so much impact - so it is all really left to the star, some authentic looking locations, some magic from Hans Zimmer and a delicious degree of mysticism and superstition amidst the greasy, gas-lit, squalor of London. It’s a classy production that is consistently paced to drip-feed us precisely nothing right until the end - but will “Sherlock” manage to save the day, the gal and the wedding?

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