– Film Review –
By Cate Marquis –
Sherlock Holmes is a character that keeps fascinating the public. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s brainy fictional detective has sparked waves of fan mania since he debuted in the late 19th century, including several movie versions. While “Sherlock” fans await the return of Benedict Cumberbatch’s modern version of the character, fans can sample another British actor’s version of the iconic detective. Acclaimed actor Ian McKellen, familiar to many audience members for his roles in “Lord of the Rings” and other films, plays an aging, retired Holmes as he solves a last mystery.
Director Bill Condon mixes fact and fiction to craft a clever and entertaining new twist on the Sherlock Holmes character in “Mr. Holmes.” which stars Ian McKellen as the iconic detective. In this version, the real Sherlock, who was the inspiration for the stories written by Dr. Watson, rather than the real Dr. Conan Doyle, is long-retired and living a reclusive life in a seaside cottage, tending his bees in the company of with his housekeeper (Laura Linney) and her young son.
“Mr. Holmes” sports an award-winning cast and director and makes the most of those talents. It is hard to come up with a fresh take on the Sherlock character but “Mr. Holmes” succeeds brilliantly. The film opens in 1947, Holmes has just returned from a trip to post-war Japan where he visited the Hiroshima nuclear bomb site is search of a mysterious herb. The plant Holmes brings back is rumored to be able to restore mental powers, which the great detective fears are fading as he reaches the end of life. The recent death of his brother Mycroft sparks Holmes to start writing a book, setting straight the real facts of his last case. Holmes will need his fading memory to remember the facts of the case and, unexpectedly, his deductive powers to solve a last mystery.
Although the film starts in post-WWII England, the film also flashes back to an earlier Sherlock, working on his last case from his Baker Street digs, a case that Watson wrote about in a novel called “Lady in Grey.” The great detective is now trying to write the real version of the story but is struggling to recall the details. Holmes is aided by the housekeeper’s young son, Roger (Milo Parker), a Sherlock fan who is eager to learn the detective’s methods.
This mystery/drama skillfully blends familiar Sherlock elements with new ideas to create a fresh and satisfying story, one that respects the character yet avoids falling into cliches. The top notch cast helps. Sir Ian McKellen shines as the flinty Mr. Holmes, who softens a bit under the admiration of his young would-be protege. McKellen’s version of the character is both spot-on and brilliantly nuanced, exploring how someone of Holmes’s intellectual power might react to the challenge of mental decline in old age. Linney is here is also wonderful, a mother struggling with deciding what is best for her young son. As Roger, … is delightful, both convincingly eager as a young detective and a sometimes rebellious boy.
“Mr. Holmes” is a delightful, satisfying film, with fine performances and a clever story, which makes it sure to please Sherlock fans and non-fans alike. “Mr. Holmes” opens Friday, July 17, at local theaters.
© Cate Marquis
