Sherlock Holmes
Movie, 2009, The 2000s, Set in Victorian London
Sherlock Holmes is #6 of 18 in release order and #6 of 18 in chronological order in the Guy Ritchie.
The story
Eccentric consulting detective Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson battle to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy England.
Sherlock Holmes recap
Sherlock Holmes (2009) pits Arthur Conan Doyle's detective against Lord Blackwood, an occultist who seems to rise from the grave after his hanging. Guy Ritchie's sixth feature, and his first studio blockbuster, casts Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Dr. John Watson. In 1890 London they stop Lord Henry Blackwood (Mark Strong) mid-ritual; he is hanged, and Watson, about to marry Mary Morstan (Kelly Reilly), plans to move out of Baker Street. Then Blackwood's tomb is found broken open with another man's body inside. Holmes's old adversary Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) returns on an errand for a mysterious professor, and the secret Temple of the Four Orders asks Holmes to stop Blackwood, revealed as the illegitimate son of its head. Blackwood's fellow members begin dying in ways that look supernatural, and his plan points to Parliament.
Sherlock Holmes ending explained
Sherlock Holmes ends on the unfinished Tower Bridge, where Holmes explains that every one of Blackwood's miracles was a trick of chemistry and staging. Adler has already destroyed the cyanide device built to gas Parliament, and Blackwood dies hanging from a chain when the scaffolding gives way. Adler reveals that her employer is Professor Moriarty, who used the chaos to steal a radio control part from the device. Holmes reopens the case, which leads into A Game of Shadows.
Post-credits scenes
No. Sherlock Holmes has no mid- or post-credits scene; the credits play over sketch-style stills.
Where to watch Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes isn't on a US streaming service right now. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.5/10, Rotten Tomatoes 69%
Where it fits
- Release order: after RocknRolla, before Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.
- Chronological order: after RocknRolla, before Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.
Cast
- Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes
- Jude Law as Dr. John Watson
- Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler
- Mark Strong as Lord Henry Blackwood
- Eddie Marsan as Inspector Lestrade
- Robert Maillet as Dredger
- Geraldine James as Mrs. Hudson
- Kelly Reilly as Mary Morstan
- William Houston as Constable Clark
- Hans Matheson as Lord Coward
- James Fox as Sir Thomas Rotheram
- William Hope as Ambassador Standish
Directed by Guy Ritchie.