Sherlock Holmes - the action movie

Sherlock Holmes is renown for may things. He is an addict, an intellectual, a musician, the foremost detective in the world, and by some accounts the inspiration of Batman. He is even the comic foil of his smarter brother Sigerson Holmes (Gene Wilder).

That's a lot for the creation of author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in over a century. This one character has been portrayed in numerous ways by over 71 actors in 201 films, and most have been widely accepted. Perhaps his best portrayals to date are some of the oldest, done by Basil Rathbone. But in modern times we have the ability to 'revision' classics and as they say in Hollywood "get it done the right way".

Thus Sherlock Holmes, friend of Scotland Yard is now an action hero. Yes, an action hero. Forget deductive reasoning, deep thought, and immense knowledge. This time Holmes is a womanizing brawny man. Move over Die Hard, a new era has begun.

I know the people of England are bitter and twisted.

The good news in all of this is that Robert Downey Jr. is the person playing the British master sleuth. The bad news is that the director is Guy Ritchie, and we will see Holmes naked and handcuffed to a bed. The film will be a departure of extreme from the novels and every other portrayal of the character on screen or in the theater.

Can Downey pull this off? I have to say that if there is any actor that could do this it has to be Downey can. I believe that he has the ability to make this departure work. in fact he has stated

"Past screen adaptations of Holmes stories "just never had the money to do it right," Downey said"

At the very least we all will have until Christmas to figure out if this 'revisioned' Sherlock Holmes is more Pinky or the Brain.