SHERLOCK HOLMES

Sherlock Holmes is a 2009 film version of Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional person of the same name. The picture was directed by Guy Ritchie and produced by Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey and Dan Lin.

In 1891 London, Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.) and Dr. John Watson (Jude Law) chase to prevent a human sacrifice rite performed by Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong). Holmes and Watson stop the sacrifice just in time and neutralize Lord Blackwood, after which the police, led by Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan), arrive and catch him.

Blackwood's capital punishment takes place three months later, during which Holmes has become bored without a new case. Watson prepares to leave 221B Baker Street to start his own business, and he intends to marry Mary Morstan (Kelly Reilly). Blackwood requests Holmes' presence on the day of his capital punishment, and warns him that three more deaths will occur after his capital punishment that will change the very nature of their world. Later, Blackwood is executed by hanging, affirmed dead by Watson himself.

Holmes is re-acquainted with Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), the only being who has managed to outfox him. She offers him a sum of cash to practice a case of a lost red-haired midget by the name of Reardon. Holmes disguises himself to find the identity of Adler's employer, but can only surmise him as a professor. Three days after Blackwood's execution, his grave is found destroyed, from the inside out, and an eyewitness reports seeing Blackwood walking away. Holmes, Watson, and Lestrade find Blackwood's casket contains the body of the red-haired midget. Holmes follows hints from a pocket timepiece on the body to the midget's house, where they find out some chemistry research. They barely avoid capture by three thugs that have arrived to eliminate the evidence in the house, but afterward are arrested for property destruction. Watson is released on bail by Miss Morstan, while Holmes is taken to the Temple of the Four Orders, an occult-dabbling secret society. Their leaders reveal Blackwood was a former member, and plead for Holmes to assist hinder him. Holmes declines their kind proposal of reward but continues to investigate. As Holmes and Watson inspect, the two superior members are assasinated through clear mysterious means by Blackwood, and he assumes control of the order, desiring to use the Order's power to push for England to retake the United States after their civil war has weakened their defenses. Blackwood orders the home Secretary, a member of the Order, to issue a warrant for Holmes' capture.

Holmes and Watson follow hints to an industrial slaughterhouse, where they are taunted by Blackwood and forced to rescue Adler from a deathly conveyor belt trap. Watson chases after Blackwood but is captured by a tripwire, setting off an explosion; Watson is able to caution Holmes and Alder to safety but is terribly wounded himself in the blast. Holmes learns he is hunted by the police and goes into hiding, and reflects on the clues he has collected. He comes to realize that Blackwood is attempting to cast a spell based on the sphinx, with the three assasinated tied to three of the mythical creature's animal constituents: man, ox, and eagle. Holmes deduces the fourth, the lion, is symbolized by the English Parliament. Holmes allows Lestrade to capture and bring him to the house Secretary. Overconfident, the Secretary informs Blackwood's plot for wiping out all the Lords but rescue those loyal followers of his. Holmes flees, diving into the river Thames, and is rescued by a waiting boat with Watson and Adler in it.

Regrouping with Watson and Adler, Holmes takes them to the sewers below Parliament where they find a machine devised by the midget that is operated by a remote trigger held by Blackwood that will release a cyanide by-product into the Parliament chambers. The three fight off Blackwood's men and remove the cyanide cylinders from the apparatus. Adler grabs the cylinders and races away, followed by Holmes; Blackwood becomes alert his machine has failed and shortly follows thereafter. The three pull in at the top of the Tower Bridge, still under construction. Blackwood knocks Adler to a lower platform, where she falls unconscious. Holmes tricks Blackwood into becoming entangled in the ropes and chains, and Blackwood is soon hanging dangerously from these over the Thames while Holmes recounts that all of Blackwood's "magical" tricks were applications of science and trickery. Holmes intends for Blackwood to stand trial but, tangled in ropes, Blackwood falls and is hanged by the chains. Holmes helps Adler get well, though handcuffs her. She explains that the weird caped man in the carriage is one Professor Moriarty. Holmes drops the key to the cuffs in Adler's bosom and leaves her, returning to Watson. The police arrive to report a dead officer found near Blackwood's machine, and Holmes deduces that chasing Adler and fighting Blackwood was a diversion by Moriarty, who used the diversion to take a key component of Blackwood's remote control machine from the {machine|apparatus.

The movie was freed in the United States on December 25, 2009, and on December 26, 2009, in the UK, Ireland, and the Pacific. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 68% of 183 critics have given the movie a positive review, with a rating average of 6.1 out of 10. The feature film opened to an estimated $65,380,000 in its first weekend, placing in second at the US box office to Avatar, which grossed $75 million.