Unquestionably, Sherlock Holmes qualifies as one of the most popular characters in English literature as well as the media. Hundreds of films and television shows have been made about him. Some are serious, while others are frivolous. Movies and television shows about Sherlock Holmes can be classified by their treatment of Holmes' companion Dr. Watson as well as the depiction of London Police Inspector Lestrade. Of course, the classic Sherlock Holmes is Basil Rathbone with Nigel Bruce as his bumbling sidekick Dr. Watson in the period 20th Century Fox and later contemporary Universal Pictures movies. Jeremy Brett has acquired a fan base for his impersonation of Holmes and the television shows that feature him adhere most closely to his literary counterpart than any others. Several actors have played the role. Leslie Howard's son Ronald Howard played Holmes rather conscientiously in the 1950 TV series and donned the deerstalker. All too often Holmes has been identified with the deerstalker because it looks so singular along with his curved pipe. Howard's Watson wasn't as cretinous as Bruce's Watson. In the late 1960s, Robert Stephens made an interesting Sherlock Holmes in Billy Wilder's "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes." Roger Moore essayed the role in "Sherlock Holmes in New York" in the 1970s. "Dracula" star Christopher Lee has incarnated the Arthur Conan Doyle's celebrated amateur sleuth in both films and television in the 1960s and 1970s. Steven Spielberg produced "Young Sherlock Holmes" that had Holmes meeting Watson in a boarding school when they were youths.
Evil" is an interesting spin on the early life of the eponymous character. The story occurs about the same time as "A Study in Scarlet." Holmes has just tangled with the nefarious Dr. Moriarty (Vincent D'Onofrio of "Full Metal Jacket") and they fight each other in the deserted backstreets of London at night with cane swords. Eventually, Moriarty whips out a revolver and Holmes blows him away with a single shot that sends the villain pitching backwards involuntarily into the sewer system so that his body cannot be recovered. Holmes makes the mistake of informing the London newspapers that he has vanquished his deadly foe. Holmes had been working for a society dame, Rebecca Doyle (Gabrielle Anwar of "Body Snatchers") who Moriarty had tried to blackmail for 10-thousand pounds.
At this point, Holmes is a younger chap than he has been played in the past. He has not met Watson yet, but he has horrid memories of the dastardly deeds that Moriarty did to his older brother Mycroft (Richard E. Grant) in giving him injections of some unknown narcotic. Holmes smokes cigarettes, drinks liquor, and occasionally goes to bed with a woman. He lives at 221 Baker Street, but he doesn't have a league of urchins running messages for him. He informs London Inspector Lestrade (Nicholas Gecks) about the death of Moriarty, but Lestrade isn't impressed with the news or Holmes. Meanwhile, a serial killer has been knocking off opium merchants methodically and Holmes refers to the killer as a sieral killer. An opium merchant hires Holmes and slips him a document signed by a local judge that authorizes Holmes to attend the latest autopsy of a murdered opium merchant. Lestrade objects initially until he sees the document, but the coroner is not impressed. The coroner is Dr. John H. Watson. Holmes and Watson (Roger Morlidge) grow fond of each other because they have keen scientific minds and speak the same language. This Watson is no fool and something of an inventor. He builds Holmes a single shot walking stick.
Eventually, Moriarty reappears. Of course, Moriarty is behind the murders. He is trying to corner the market on a new drug that has not been outlawed yet: morphine. Holmes discovers that the young blackmail victim was hired by Moriarty so that he could dupe Holmes into believing that he had killed him. Holmes suffers in humiliation when he realizes that Moriarty has made a fool of him. Moriarty decides to eliminate Holmes and he abducts the sleuth, pumps him repeatedly full of morphine. Clearly, the producers are suggesting that Holmes came to use needles because Moriarty turned him into an addict. Holmes manages to escape. Moriarty kidnaps the woman that he hired to fool Holmes. Holmes had been protecting the woman from Moriarty and they became romantically involved until Moriarty grabs her and murders her in cold blood. Holmes and Moriarity duel again, this time in Big Ben, and Holmes sends Moriarty plunging from the shattered clock bace into the Thames.
This R-rated for drug use adventure concludes with Watson becoming Holmes casebook correspondent. One of Holmes' relatives sends him a deerstalker and Watson, who has been reprimanding Holmes for smoking cigarettes, gives him a curved pipe. The crisply made, period adventure concludes with a bandaged Holmes posing in profile with the curved pipe and deerstalker for Watson who shoots a photograph of his newest friend. The pace is quick and Holmes and Watson even get into a brawl at a pub with several assailants and smash their way to safety with their fist. James D'Arcy of "Master and Commander" makes a bland but acceptable Holmes, while D'Onofrio is exceptional as the wicked Moriarty. There is one nude scene when a woman strips for Holmes in his Baker Street apartment. Holmes doesn't have an interfering land lady. Watson isn't a clown.
Indeed, "Cadfael" director Graham Theakston has taken some liberties with the famous character, but "Sherlock: Case of Evil" benefits from top-notch production values.
Evil" is an interesting spin on the early life of the eponymous character. The story occurs about the same time as "A Study in Scarlet." Holmes has just tangled with the nefarious Dr. Moriarty (Vincent D'Onofrio of "Full Metal Jacket") and they fight each other in the deserted backstreets of London at night with cane swords. Eventually, Moriarty whips out a revolver and Holmes blows him away with a single shot that sends the villain pitching backwards involuntarily into the sewer system so that his body cannot be recovered. Holmes makes the mistake of informing the London newspapers that he has vanquished his deadly foe. Holmes had been working for a society dame, Rebecca Doyle (Gabrielle Anwar of "Body Snatchers") who Moriarty had tried to blackmail for 10-thousand pounds.
At this point, Holmes is a younger chap than he has been played in the past. He has not met Watson yet, but he has horrid memories of the dastardly deeds that Moriarty did to his older brother Mycroft (Richard E. Grant) in giving him injections of some unknown narcotic. Holmes smokes cigarettes, drinks liquor, and occasionally goes to bed with a woman. He lives at 221 Baker Street, but he doesn't have a league of urchins running messages for him. He informs London Inspector Lestrade (Nicholas Gecks) about the death of Moriarty, but Lestrade isn't impressed with the news or Holmes. Meanwhile, a serial killer has been knocking off opium merchants methodically and Holmes refers to the killer as a sieral killer. An opium merchant hires Holmes and slips him a document signed by a local judge that authorizes Holmes to attend the latest autopsy of a murdered opium merchant. Lestrade objects initially until he sees the document, but the coroner is not impressed. The coroner is Dr. John H. Watson. Holmes and Watson (Roger Morlidge) grow fond of each other because they have keen scientific minds and speak the same language. This Watson is no fool and something of an inventor. He builds Holmes a single shot walking stick.
Eventually, Moriarty reappears. Of course, Moriarty is behind the murders. He is trying to corner the market on a new drug that has not been outlawed yet: morphine. Holmes discovers that the young blackmail victim was hired by Moriarty so that he could dupe Holmes into believing that he had killed him. Holmes suffers in humiliation when he realizes that Moriarty has made a fool of him. Moriarty decides to eliminate Holmes and he abducts the sleuth, pumps him repeatedly full of morphine. Clearly, the producers are suggesting that Holmes came to use needles because Moriarty turned him into an addict. Holmes manages to escape. Moriarty kidnaps the woman that he hired to fool Holmes. Holmes had been protecting the woman from Moriarty and they became romantically involved until Moriarty grabs her and murders her in cold blood. Holmes and Moriarity duel again, this time in Big Ben, and Holmes sends Moriarty plunging from the shattered clock bace into the Thames.
This R-rated for drug use adventure concludes with Watson becoming Holmes casebook correspondent. One of Holmes' relatives sends him a deerstalker and Watson, who has been reprimanding Holmes for smoking cigarettes, gives him a curved pipe. The crisply made, period adventure concludes with a bandaged Holmes posing in profile with the curved pipe and deerstalker for Watson who shoots a photograph of his newest friend. The pace is quick and Holmes and Watson even get into a brawl at a pub with several assailants and smash their way to safety with their fist. James D'Arcy of "Master and Commander" makes a bland but acceptable Holmes, while D'Onofrio is exceptional as the wicked Moriarty. There is one nude scene when a woman strips for Holmes in his Baker Street apartment. Holmes doesn't have an interfering land lady. Watson isn't a clown.
Indeed, "Cadfael" director Graham Theakston has taken some liberties with the famous character, but "Sherlock: Case of Evil" benefits from top-notch production values.