Sherlock Holmes

Robert Downey Jr. dives into yet another iconic role as the title character in director Guy Ritchie’s inventive, sometimes exhilarating take on the classic sleuth. While the famous detective still puffs on his pipe, he’s now a badass street fighter with major self-esteem issues and a dark sense of humor. He’s also a really lousy roommate. Joining Downey as Watson—in what turns out to be his best role in quite a while—is former megastar-on-the-rise Jude Law. The two prove to be a winning combination; although the mystery sometimes feels more Scooby-Doo than Arthur Conan Doyle, the action set pieces are so good that they overcome any scripting shortfalls. The normally reliable Rachel McAdams is the film’s weakest link as the love interest, and Mark Strong makes for an uninteresting villain. Even with the flaws, Downey and Law are very much worth seeing.