Mr. Holmes

I have always really liked the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (I even decided to pull out the classic The Hound of the Baskervilles for my seniors at the end of the year).  Sherlock Holmes is such a wonderfully complicated and idiosyncratic character so, when I saw the previews for Mr. Holmes, I was intrigued by the premise of an older and more fallible man in retirement.  It has been on my list and I got the chance to see it last night.   A 93 year old Sherlock Holmes (Ian McKellen) has been retired and living in a remote cottage in Sussex for over 30 years,  He is unhappy with how John Watson portrayed his final case and wants to write a true account before he dies (in some funny scenes he is also unhappy about his portrayal with a calabash pipe and deerstalker cap in the illustrations of the stories).  His memory is failing him but his housekeeper's son Roger (Milo Parker) wants to know the story and helps him piece together the clues.  The case, involving a man wanting to know why his young wife is so distraught, is presented in bits and pieces as flashbacks.  Holmes went about the case logically and uncovered the facts but he couldn't prevent a tragedy from occurring.  As a man facing mortality all alone, he finally realizes that he should have shown the young woman some compassion and this changes his relationship with his housekeeper (Laura Linney) and Roger.  McKellen is simply marvelous as both the celebrated detective in his prime in Baker Street and the curmudgeonly old man waiting for death by the sea, giving an incredible performance.  I was also impressed with Parker and the relationship between Holmes and Roger is beautiful to watch as it develops.  The plot moves slowly; it is not a typical detective story (although there are some really clever moments where Sherlock displays his genius) but, rather, it is an exploration of a man facing his legacy with regrets and I found it to be very moving.  In fact, my only complaint about this movie is Laura Linney's inconsistent accent, although she does an excellent job with some powerful scenes at the end of the film.  I loved it and I recommend it highly.

Note:  I think my favorite actor to portray the detective is still Benedict Cumberbatch.  I absolutely love the PBS series, Sherlock, which is set in present-day.