Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) / the return of the Bromance

 

directed by Guy Richie / starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris, Stephen Fry

I loved the first Sherlock Holmes so much. I actually went to see it in cinema three times. That was the first time I'd seen a film in cinema three times since Revenge of the Sith, by the way, and it hasn't happened again since. I started to look forward to the next Holmes adventure right after the wonderful ending of the first film, quite obviously promising for more. Then at some point I got tired of waiting and allowed myself to restrain my enormous enthusiasm towards the upcoming sequel. In other words, I didn't care too much about the franchise anymore. Not even the trailer could arouse my interest very much. It looked a bit lame and predictable and uninventive. Like the sequel would just rely on the jokes and ideas and success of the first film.

And it kind of did, to a certain lenght, of course. But it wasn't a bad thing at all, they did it well, actully! The old gags were continued and the distinct slo-mo action sequences were there again, but there was some clever reinvention going on, which made it surprisingly fresh, and hardly repetitive at all. Oh, and boy, did the Bromance bloom.

In case someone (like me, it turns out) has forgotten that Robert Downey Jr. is the sexiest man alive, let me just point this out: Robert Downey Jr. is, indeed, the sexiest man alive. Oh, mama. No one plays that absurdly cocky yet indeniably lovable type of character better than him. Can't wait for Avengers and the next Iron Man. Boy, oh boy. There might be a sex overload.

Scandinavia's pride Noomi Rapace was a real joy! Yes, I've decided to take pride on her, too, I won't let Sweden take all the credit. Because I'm sick of Sweden winning all the time. Also, since this fall (or autumn or whatever, I don't know what English I should use now that I'm back home) Sweden often functioned as a substitute for curing homesickness, I now kind of look at Scandinavia as a whole, so calling Rapace "our girl" would be more than appropriate. Let her conquer the world and bring fame to her home country, Scandinavia! Ahem.

Jared Harris was great, really great! There's something oddly gentle about his eyes, yet they can turn ice-cold and deliver a deadly stare. I love villains that aren't obviously evil (though I do love some obviously evil villains, too), and who destroy the world without losing that indifferent, almost friendly poker face. Really great job, you Mad Man!

Like in the first film, I again enjoyed the brilliant music, the cool end credits, the cinematography of the action scenes (even in the scene in the forrest when it ALMOST (?) went over-the-top), the fun supporting characters and the wonderful and hilarious chemistry between Law and Downey Jr.

In summary, I'd say that Game of Shadows was a very good sequel. The ending was excellent. Unpredictable. The end came too soon. Or was it really that? The end? If not, I sure am ready for more, so bring it.
 

"What do you see?"

"Everything."