Forensic Holmes?

Sherlock Holmes is fast succumbing to his drug habit when a new case takes his interest, and, with the help of Dr Watson, he manages to pull himself together enough to work on the case. A number of girls from wealthy families are going missing, later found dead. All the girls appear to be young and innocent, yet someone obviously wants them wiped off the face of the earth. Then one young girl manages to survive the kidnap. Can she lead Holmes and Watson to the murderer? And will the latest forensic advances help them on their way?

As Holmes, however, I am not sure that Everett was really an ideal choice. He didn't really do anything drastically wrong in the role; he is a good actor and he managed to pull it off without any major misdemeanours. The problem is that the way the film is directed doesn't allow Everett to be shown in his best light. Nor is the script all that good. In the end, I found myself criticising the way that the film was made and forgetting to concentrate on the characters - unfortunately Everett's performance wasn't strong enough to draw me in. As far as I know, there are no plans for him to appear as Holmes again - from my point of view, to do so would be a mistake.

I wasn't particularly impressed by any of the supporting actors. There is a rather strange addition to Holmes' team in the form of Mrs Vandeleur, played by Helen McCrory. She is an American pscyho-analyst, affianced to Watson. I think she is a made-up character for the film - I certainly don't remember her in the books. McCrory gives a competent performance, I just wasn't convinced that Watson would marry such a woman. Perdita Weeks is also competent as Roberta Massingham - her character isn't very well developed, but she does look good, which is really all that was necessary. Neil Dudgeon as Lestrade, Holmes' police officer associate, is completely forgettable - I can't even remember what he looks like.

What did put me off this film was the weak story. Conan Doyle's original stories are always taut and very cleverly written. This one, put together by Alan Cubitt, is really quite weak, and could probably have been told in half an hour because there is so little substance. The director seems to have relied on the costumes and setting to carry much of the story - not a smart move considering so many have criticised it for being unrealistic. The solution to the crimes is particularly poor, and was the final nail in the coffin for me. The story reminded me more of Basil Rathbone's films, which often had weak stories - the difference is that Rathbone was much more charismatic as Holmes.

Classification: 15 (for various dead bodies and the portrayal of drug use)