No S*%^, 'Sherlock'!

The quintessential, perfect version of Sherlock Holmes is a witty, genius detective that can verbally spar with the best of them and solve the toughest, most unsolvable crimes. That must be what Sir Arthur Conan Doyle imagined when he wrote of the character's exploits, and that is what director Guy Ritchie and the screenwriters bring to the big screen in the film version of "Sherlock Holmes."

Played by everything-man Robert Downey, Jr., the film version of Sherlock is impressive to look at and a fun, fast-paced film that leaves the viewer sometimes confused until Sherlock rewinds the scene for us and shows us how it really went down. So if you miss something, don't fret; so did everyone else, and that is intentional. Or you just might not even know you missed it until it's explained.

Sherlock's trusty sidekick Watson is played by Jude Law. The verbal interplay between the two is fantastic, and they work well together, giving the film a nice flow and feel. The film begins with the duo taking down Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) just as he is about to sacrifice another human victim. Blackwood is sentenced to death, and after he is executed, he is pronounced dead by Dr. Watson himself.

The ensuing period after Blackwood's case is boring for the two men, until an old flame of Holmes's, Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) shows up and tries to recruit him for a new case. Despite his intentions not to, he is drawn into the new case.

Meanwhile, Blackwood's tomb is found shattered, with reports that he has risen from the dead. Holmes's new case for Irene leads him into a dark undertaking, as does his acquaintance with the undead Blackwood.

The plot is good and the acting is, for the most part, excellent. The only person not great is McAdams, who is sort of dry and boring; maybe it's because she has an American accent while everyone else is British, I don't know. But something about her just doesn't gel very well with the rest of the cast. The dialogue is great, as is the direction, and it's left open so that you can clearly tell there will be sequels to come.

7 out of 10 stars

Here's the trailer: