Robert Downey Jr. As Sherlock????

[Aaron]

Escrima. It's a form of Filipino martial arts using sticks of various sorts, usually called "escrima sticks" very unimaginative but effective.

 

[jhuggett]

I was actually thinking of baritsu:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartitsu

The system includes parts of cane fighting which also has double cane techniques. May be a stretch to say that was what was being displayed but it's kind of cool to think it was.

 

[JT]

You didn't like Snatch? That's one of my all time favorite movies.

Dittos, Jason! Snatch is right there at the top of my favorites list, too.

Wish I could say the same for this movie. It appears to me that Holmes will become a Hollywood-ized cross between Antonio Banderas and Arnold Schwarzenegger. I detest poorly-cast remakes of classics, especially those become nothing more than a vehicle for gratuitous explosions and strained one-liners. I'd rather watch a re-run of Jeremy Brett on PBS.

 

[jhuggett]

I can totally understand how it can be viewed as Holmesian heresy but I think I can take it on it's own merit. It may inspire a new generation to go back and read the originals.

The stick fighting part of the Bartitsu system was derived from the French fighting system, la canne. Here's a video that demonstrates the dual cane style at the end of it.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6923237699114385757

 

[Aaron]

I was actually thinking of baritsu:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartitsu

The system includes parts of cane fighting which also has double cane techniques. May be a stretch to say that was what was being displayed but it's kind of cool to think it was.

Oh yeah. I forgot that holmes said he had some knowledge of baritsu in "the adventure of the empty house" I think it was. Good call. Could have sworn it was escrima. I stand corrected.

 

[Dubbya]

Escrima. It's a form of Filipino martial arts using sticks of various sorts, usually called "escrima sticks" very unimaginative but effective.

The old Filipino guys around here call them Baston(bah-stone).

 

[jhuggett]

Aaron, I think it did look a lot more like Escrima too. Like I said it may be a stretch to say they were being that true to character. :lol:

 

[Bill]

Saw the film and it was excellent. Spotted a goof though. He referred to his pipe as being a "clay pipe" and it was actually a Savinelli blast, shape #127.

 

[SMITHENHALS]

I thought the movie was great. It was true to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s characters for the most part. I especially enjoyed the fact that they didn’t make Watson seem like a bumbling ***** as they did in the Rathabone films. The movie even featured classic characters such as Irene Adler, Inspector Lestrade, and Ms. Hudson. There were many involvements of Holmes’s love of tobacco and the pipe (as well as drugs) throughout the movie, as well as his all night experimentations, chemistry knowledge, fighting skills, and use of various disguises. The only complaint I have is Sherlock Holmes’s physical appearance in the movie. They portrayed him as a man of strange fashion and of poor personal hygiene, as he was always poorly dressed and never clean shaven. Quite the opposite of Holmes I thought.

 

[Richard Hester]

Hello All
I must say I have all the old black & white movies as well as the 1950's tv show and I believe I have read every book on SH for the life of me I have enjoyed this movie the most. With that being said I do believe he should have been at least clean shaven but as a whole I thank RDJ did a great job :lol: :cheers: :lol:
Best Regard
Richard

 

[Anonymous]

It's coming out on DVD today.

 

[scottbtdmb]

It's coming out on DVD today.

Yeah, my girlfriend surprised with the DVD today for my birthday! Good times! It will fit in nicely with my complete DVD collections of the Rathbone/Bruce movies, as well as the Complete Jeremy Brett Grenada series. The Downey Jr. version doesn't hold a candle to the aforementioned, but it is still good in its own right.

-Scott

 

[Professor_Briar]

So they are going to make a second movie with release at Christmas 2011!!! How good is that?

 

[St Fiacre]

I was really impressed with the first one, now I am excited about the upcoming one did not know about the release date thanks for the info.

 

[Funn]

Am watching it now for the umpteenth time. Taped it on VHS.
Love the new adapttion of Holmes. If one reads the books it's very close action wise.
particularly love the Baritsu scenes and the satiric interplay between Holmes & Watson.
Can't wait for the new one to add to my collection.

 

[St Fiacre]

Am watching it now for the umpteenth time. Taped it on VHS.
Love the new adapttion of Holmes. If one reads the books it's very close action wise.
particularly love the Baritsu scenes and the satiric interplay between Holmes & Watson.
Can't wait for the new one to add to my collection.

True, most of the other adaptions on screen do not really tap into Holmes martial arts techinques which I always thought was a shame since he was supposed to have been a master. I also loved all the quotes in the movie from the original books.

 

[whiskeywillow]

I'm really excited about the upcoming sequel. I loved the first one, thought it was incredibly well done for having changed so much. The only problem I had was with the wet blanket known as Jude Law. I felt like there were dozens of better options for Watson. But he doesn't completely spoil the movie, so I guess it could be worse.

I haven't heard much about the second film yet, except that Stephen Fry is to play Mycroft Holmes (I practically cried out with joy when I heard this, I'm a big Fry fan) and Professor Moriarty will be played by Jared Harris. Harris is one of my favorite actors and also incredibly underrated...you might know him as the son of Richard Harris. But he was on The Riches towards the end (honestly, Eddie Izzard needs to pull together a movie to end the series), he was *fantastic* in the Curious Case of Benjamin Button, among other things. Anyway I think he's going to be amazing as Moriarty. My favorite portrayal of Moriarty to date is Richard Roxborough's from The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen which is probably a heretical statement...but I fully expect to have a new favorite Moriarty performance as soon as the next film comes out.

 

[Greg-TheFullerBrushMan]

I am glad to see the positive comments about this movie. I absolutely LOVED it and cannot wait for the sequel!

IMHO, if one reads the originals closely, and even examines the few illustrations available, I believe that Guy Richie and RDJr got Holmes spot on. Much more so, again IMHO than any of the "classic" portrayals, i.e. Rathbone and J. Brett. To me, those were plodding, uninspiring caricatures of both Holmes and Dr. Watson.

In short, I thought that this movie was brilliant in all regards.

-Greg

 

[Gumball]

I will admit to having misgivings when I first heard about this movie adaptation, but I really enjoyed it. The interplay between Holmes and Watson worked very well. The casting was inspired, RDJ really brought something new to the role of Holmes, and Jude Law held his own admirably as Watson. If that relationship had not worked on screen then the movie would have been a complete mess.

 

[Harlock999]

I will admit to having misgivings when I first heard about this movie adaptation, but I really enjoyed it. The interplay between Holmes and Watson worked very well. The casting was inspired, RDJ really brought something new to the role of Holmes, and Jude Law held his own admirably as Watson. If that relationship had not worked on screen then the movie would have been a complete mess.

I was more impressed with Law's Watson than Downey's Holmes. Just watched it the other day, and was entertained. Not the total train wreck I'd been led to believe it was.