Sherlock Holmes

Arthur Conan Doyle described his creation as a man of “peculiarities,” of a racing mind yet “the worst tenant in London,” a slob. The author never had the pleasure of witnessing Robert Downey Jr., but you’d think he’d be pleased with the casting. Downey peps up his performance with so much attitude that you wish the whole clamorous movie spinning around him would just calm down and take notice. (Even the blockbuster Iron Man feels more personally acute.) Too strenuously, it’s established that Holmes is a brawler, as if a cerebral hero were somehow distasteful. Warner’s transfer is beautiful, sounding even better than the theatrical print, but extras are scant.

• More DVD reviews
• More Film articles