Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)

While my mum was in town over the holidays we went to go see Sherlock Holmes with my friend Jeanette.  My mum had been looking forward to this movie for a while; we went to see the first Sherlock Holmes (2009) together, so it seemed right to see the second one together.  Many people did like the first one, and those people did not like the second, but both my mum and I really enjoyed it.

Personally I am a huge fan of Robert Downey Jr. Talk about an actor who was down on his luck and pretty much gone from the Silver Screen, that man came back with a vengeance and is now is pretty much everything. He is a wonderful actor and he is doing so very well.

But back to the story…Sherlock Holmes (played by Robert Downey Jr.) has become obsessed with Professor Moriarty (played by Jared Harris). He has basically hidden himself away in his house, drinking himself to death as he investigated seemingly unrelated crimes all across Europe convinced that they all lead back to his arch enemy Professor Moriarty.

Sherlock has become not only obsessed with Moriarty, but he is also still infatuated with Irena Adler (played by Rachel McAdams) who he has continued to maintain a relationship with, even though she is a criminal and works for Moriarty. Personally, I believe that not only is he in love with her, be he believes that through her…he will find Moriarty.

The movie begins with Holmes following Adler. He follows her to a funeral, where unbeknownst to her, Moriarty has set a death trap for an old man and anyone else who happens to be in the vicinity.  Holmes manages to rescue an old man from an explosion, only to find that Moriarty had sent backup to poison him if Adler failed.  

Moriarty has become frustrated with Adler and her continued feelings for Holmes; Moriarty requests a meeting with Adler. Selecting her favorite restaurant Adler agrees, taking precautions knowing she cannot trust Moriarty. But Moriarty has already decided Adler’s fate and even with all of her precautions, Moriarty poisons Adler in the middle of a restaurant…which, unbeknownst to Adler, he has strategically filled with his own minions.

Although Dr. Watson (played by Jude Law) has always been Holmes sidekick in solving crimes, he has taken a new direction in life. He is now engaged to be married to Mary (played by Kelly Reilly) and Holmes is not taking the news as well as a best man should. Instead he is ignoring the fact that the wedding is just a few days away and instead continuing to focus all his attention on Moriarty. 

When Dr. Watson and Holmes arrive at Watson’s stag party, Watson is furious when he realizes that Holmes didn’t invite any of his friends. The only person Holmes did invite was his own brother Mycroft (played by Stephen Fry). Determined to have a good time regardless Dr. Watson storms off and joins in on a nearby Poker game.  Holmes on the other hand didn’t not pick this location by chance, he is in fact trying to locate a gypsy names Sim (played by Noomi Rapace) who he believes is somehow connected with Moriarty.

Holmes arrives just in time and manages to save Sim from an assassin…although he does get his butt kicked pretty badly in the process.  But even though the fight and the heavy night of drinking, both Holmes and Watson make it to the church with no time to spare…and Watson gets married and heads off for his honeymoon with his new wife.

Side note: although the movie does seem slow at times, the fight scenes are really fast paced and very good in this movie.

Becoming annoyed with Holmes and his constant interrogation of his associates, Moriarty finally meets with Holmes. He warns him (in such a savvy sophisticated way) that if he continues to investigate him, he will have to start to target those closest to Holmes, his best friend and constant companion, Dr. Watson.

Realizing that he has but his best friend and his best friend’s wife in jeopardy, Holmes stows away on the train alongside Watson and Mary and just in time. Watson and his new wife are attacked, and Holmes steps in to the rescue. Knowing there is only one way to keep Mary from harm’s way. Holmes knocks Mary off the train into the river below. She is picked up by Mycroft and taken to safety. Enraged by Holmes pushing is new wife off a moving train and convinced that this is all Holmes fault between fighting for their lives, Holmes and Watson argue over what is going on.

The two men manage to fight off the attackers and arrive in France. Holmes and Watson track down the gypsy to find out more about her brother Rene. Holmes believes that Moriarty is targeting her because of her brother and believes her to be a loose end in his ultimate plan. Sim only agrees to talk with the men because Holmes saved her life. She is convinced that her brother would not work with Moriarty but she agrees to help them. She takes them to a hideout where a local rebel organization that Sim and her brother were working with is located. She explains to Holmes and Watson that she and her brother left the organization once serious violence started to be done. She claims that her brother would never go back to work with the group.

Walking around the hideout, Holmes realizes that Moriarty was in fact working with this group and he has used them to build a bomb he believes is designed to take out an opera house in the middle of the city. Holmes is not the only one to realize the organization has been used and set up as the fall guys, the leader of his group confesses what he has done in working with Moriarty to Sim and then he takes his own life.

Holmes, Watson and Sim rush to the Opera house only to realize that Holmes was wrong. Moriarty tricked him and he blows up a hotel instead. A hotel full of powerful leaders in the midst of a peace treaty that would end war across Europe for decades!

As the rubble clears, Holmes and Watson sneak in to inspect the bodies. Holmes notices that the bomb was actually just a cover for Moriarty’s gunmen and left hand man, Colonel Sebastian Moran (played by Paul Anderson). Moran had only had one mission…to kill one specific party member, the owner of a large arms factory in Germany, and Moriarty had recently purchased a large number of shares.

Curious as to why Moriarty had wanted to kill this man Homs and Watson do a little digging and realize the man was in fact an arms factory owner in Germany and Moriarty had recently purchased a majority investment in the company.

Living Sim behind, Watson and Holmes head to Germany to investigate what Moriarty’s end game is. Watson and Holmes get separated at the factory and Holmes is captured and taken to Moriarty. In the standard “Bad Guy Speech” Moriarty reveals that he plans to start a World War, which will ultimately increase the demands for products that his companies make…making him extremely rich.

**Side Note – Really!? Really?! Start a World War to sell your guns. This dude is seriously wacked out of his mind and should have just been put down like a mad cow there and then…but the movie needed to go on**

 Watson has a Texan standoff with Colonel Sebastian Moran and manages to keep the crazy sniper at bay until he can rescue Holmes and the two escape the factory and Holmes announces they are going to the Peace Summit.

At the summit with Mycroft, Holmes realizes that Sim’s brother, Rene, is no longer wearing his own face, but has actually undergone an experimental surgery that changed his appearance. Knowing that Rene could be anyone, Watson and Sim walk around looking at all the party guests while Holmes goes off to play a deadly game of chess with Moriarty.

I am going to stop here, so you can go see the rest of the movie for yourself and find out how it ends. No spoiler alert this time.

I really did enjoy this movie and so did my mum.  I think this movie makes you think and it has a lot of twists and turns. Keeping you on your toes and wondering what is going to happen next. I am not sure that I enjoyed it as much as the first one, but I would not be upset if they make a 3^rd.