Sherlock Holmes
Movie, 2009, Victorian London, Set in London, 1890
Sherlock Holmes is #13 of 26 in release order and #12 of 26 in chronological order in the Sherlock Holmes.
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) is Guy Ritchie's action mystery, with Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes, Jude Law as Watson, Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler and Mark Strong as Lord Blackwood. In 1890 London, Holmes and Watson stop Blackwood, who claims supernatural powers, from killing a sixth woman. Blackwood is hanged, but his tomb is found broken open and he seems to have risen from the dead. As Watson prepares to marry Mary Morstan and leave Baker Street, Holmes learns that Blackwood is the secret son of the head of an occult order and plans to use it to seize control of the British Empire, while Irene works for a mysterious professor.
Sherlock Holmes ending explained
Blackwood's plan is to kill Parliament with cyanide gas, sparing his own allies who have the antidote, but Irene disarms the device. Holmes fights Blackwood on the unfinished Tower Bridge and explains that every "miracle" was science and trickery; Blackwood falls and is hanged in chains. Irene tells Holmes her employer is Professor Moriarty, who used the chaos to steal a radio component from the machine, and Holmes considers the case reopened.
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 Without a Clue, before Sherlock.
- Chronological order: after The Hound of the Baskervilles, before Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.
What to watch before Sherlock Holmes
Nothing. Sherlock Holmes (2009) doesn't continue an earlier version, so it stands on its own.
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.