Am a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes and get a lot of enjoyment out of Arthur Conan Doyle's stories. Also love Basil Rathbone's and especially Jeremy Brett's interpretations to death. So would naturally see any Sherlock Holmes adaptation that comes my way, regardless of its reception.
'Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking' has garnered comparisons with the 2002 version of 2002's 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' with Richard Roxburgh, namely perhaps because of Ian Hart returning as Watson. It is hard to tell which is the better of the two, this has the better Holmes, he has more screen time and doesn't have the flaw of having very bad visual effects. The earlier adaptation though does better with the relationship between Holmes and Watson, didn't feel as clichéd or anachronistic and Richard E Grant's Stapleton eclipses anybody in the supporting cast here.
Neither are among the best Sherlock Holmes adaptations (the Jeremy Brett Granada adaptations are hard to beat as well as the best of Basil Rathbone's films) , though neither are among the worst, like the Peter Cook.'The Hound of the Baskervilles' or any of the Matt Frewer Hallmark films, especially 'The Sign of Four'.
Certainly there are a lot of strengths with 'Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking'. It looks great. There is a real creepiness and authenticity to the settings and production design and the costumes show a careful eye for detail. It's beautifully photographed, the use of fog was at times overused but quite effective. The music is suitably eerie.
Writing intrigues and entertains, with some nice references here and there, while there are some genuinely creepy and suspenseful moments. It is also intriguing for its depiction of the upper class. It's paced in a lively fashion generally while still having some breathing space. Direction is competent enough at some points but low key in others.
Of the acting, the standout is Ian Hart's loyal and intelligent, but also at times light-hearted and feisty, Watson, to me one of the best, most interesting and most faithful interpretations, rather than the buffoon seen in some interpretations (Nigel Bruce being an infamous example). Rupert Everett is a very worthy Holmes, perhaps too young and healthy-looking, but also shrewd, thoughtful and charismatic. The two do show a good chemistry together.
However, the script is not always focused and riddled with clichés that tends to make one groan rather than smile. There are forced in modernisations too that just come over as sloppy and anachronistic. There are moments of tension and suspense here, but would have been made better if there were more suspects (far too few here), if the perpetrator was not revealed or too obvious too early and if the ending explained things better, felt less hasty, has more suspense and less of a vapid, predictable feel and didn't feel as anti-climactic or underdeveloped. The ending really was a slap in the face, and was rounded off by a scene that strived to be poignant but ruined by clumsy writing.
Generally the supporting cast while not terrible are not used to their full potential and are somewhat bland. Neil Dudgeon's interesting Lestrade fares best and Helen McCrory does what she can. The drug use is over-emphasised and out of character and the more strained relationship between Holmes and Watson had far more subtlety in 'The Hound of the Baskervilles', it was veering on the too antagonistic here.
Overall, decent and interesting but a little underwhelming as well. 6/10 Bethany Cox
'Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking' has garnered comparisons with the 2002 version of 2002's 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' with Richard Roxburgh, namely perhaps because of Ian Hart returning as Watson. It is hard to tell which is the better of the two, this has the better Holmes, he has more screen time and doesn't have the flaw of having very bad visual effects. The earlier adaptation though does better with the relationship between Holmes and Watson, didn't feel as clichéd or anachronistic and Richard E Grant's Stapleton eclipses anybody in the supporting cast here.
Neither are among the best Sherlock Holmes adaptations (the Jeremy Brett Granada adaptations are hard to beat as well as the best of Basil Rathbone's films) , though neither are among the worst, like the Peter Cook.'The Hound of the Baskervilles' or any of the Matt Frewer Hallmark films, especially 'The Sign of Four'.
Certainly there are a lot of strengths with 'Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking'. It looks great. There is a real creepiness and authenticity to the settings and production design and the costumes show a careful eye for detail. It's beautifully photographed, the use of fog was at times overused but quite effective. The music is suitably eerie.
Writing intrigues and entertains, with some nice references here and there, while there are some genuinely creepy and suspenseful moments. It is also intriguing for its depiction of the upper class. It's paced in a lively fashion generally while still having some breathing space. Direction is competent enough at some points but low key in others.
Of the acting, the standout is Ian Hart's loyal and intelligent, but also at times light-hearted and feisty, Watson, to me one of the best, most interesting and most faithful interpretations, rather than the buffoon seen in some interpretations (Nigel Bruce being an infamous example). Rupert Everett is a very worthy Holmes, perhaps too young and healthy-looking, but also shrewd, thoughtful and charismatic. The two do show a good chemistry together.
However, the script is not always focused and riddled with clichés that tends to make one groan rather than smile. There are forced in modernisations too that just come over as sloppy and anachronistic. There are moments of tension and suspense here, but would have been made better if there were more suspects (far too few here), if the perpetrator was not revealed or too obvious too early and if the ending explained things better, felt less hasty, has more suspense and less of a vapid, predictable feel and didn't feel as anti-climactic or underdeveloped. The ending really was a slap in the face, and was rounded off by a scene that strived to be poignant but ruined by clumsy writing.
Generally the supporting cast while not terrible are not used to their full potential and are somewhat bland. Neil Dudgeon's interesting Lestrade fares best and Helen McCrory does what she can. The drug use is over-emphasised and out of character and the more strained relationship between Holmes and Watson had far more subtlety in 'The Hound of the Baskervilles', it was veering on the too antagonistic here.
Overall, decent and interesting but a little underwhelming as well. 6/10 Bethany Cox