I was shocked and pleased at the end of Sherlock Holmes when the director’s credit was shown. I’d either forgotten or ignored that it was a Guy Ritchie movie. After Revolver and Rocknrolla my faith in his abilities had taken a couple of hard hits.

With Holmes, Ritchie delivers a solid period/mystery thriller/actioner. Sherlock Holmes never feels like yet another Ritchie film about London’s criminal underworld, yet it has all the elements he is well-known for: ginger-haired thugs, the rough parts of town, Irish bare-knuckle brawls, compulsive gambling, bickering best mates, explosions and gun play….lots of gun play.

The acting is uneven, tragically the problems are gender-based. (I can’t remember a single female character from a Guy Ritchie movie, so maybe that has something to do with it.) Downey is great as the eccentric and reclusive Holmes (nothing like Basil Rathbone). As Dr. Watson, Law reels in the charm and sparkle, proving a great actor can support as well as he can lead. Rachel McAdams is lame as Holmes’ bewitching on-again-off-again American lover, Irene Adler. Watson’s bride-to-be is only as good as her lines allow her to be (read: not very good).

All in all a truly fun film to watch. Get ready for some sequels!