Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows (2011)

After the prior Robert Downey Jr.- Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes earned a staggering $524 million globally, you didn't have to be the world's greatest detective to know a sequel would be on the way. Turning Arthur Conan Doyle's classic literary tales of detection and deception into a high-speed film with plenty of action, speed-ramped camera techniques and and quick, quippy cleverness.  A Game of Shadows follows the same plan as the original. Only this time, bigger and better.

As a spate of Antichrist bombings rips through Europe, Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) intercepts a letter that leads him to a mysterious gypsy girl (Noomi Rapace) and the brilliant professor Moriaty (Jared Harris) Meanwhile Dr. Watson (Jude Law) is trying desperately to get married.

There is very little sense in personal growth in Holmes' latest case. Director Guy Ritchie unapologetically sticks to the same formula. The set-pieces are bigger, with a good mix of marvel and overkill: the film keeps introducing bigger and bigger guns to up the ante somewhat. What has changed however, is the villain.

Make no mistake about it; Moriaty is Sherlock's Joker: a crook as indomitable as the hero. Far from lurking in the background, Moriaty takes centre stage. Through a series of confrontations, Holmes and his nemesis play a literal and metaphorical game of chess. Jared Harris was an excellent choice as Moriaty. He creates a Moriaty of diabolic grace - as poised as his opponent is jittery.

A Game of Shadows contains a number of standout action sequences, including a four-on-one encounter between Holmes and some thugs, a chase-and-escape at Watson's bachelor party, fireworks on a train, a torturous sequence involving a meat hook, and an artillery-impeded race through a forest. There are also plenty of explosions and secondary fights, all of which gel to make this latest adventure bigger then any other told so far. Holmes does not wear his deerstalker hat nor utter the word 'elementary', but he smokes pipes upon occasion and dresses up like both an elderly lady and the upholstery of a chair.

Ritchie's signature style is in evidence, but is not as overpowering as in the first movie. He uses slow-motion shots to detail Holmes' advance mental choreography of fights. The most inventive instance of this occurs when Holmes and Moriaty square off.

Noomi Rapace is the only character that's a non-starter. It's not her fault, Noomi is a fabulous actress and I'm sure she'll have a more meaty role in Ridley Scott's Prometheus. But here, her gypsy girl is neither feisty nor particularly sympathetic, and doesn't even have a romance sub-plot. Watson is proving to be a great character for Jude Law. he's able to squeeze a touch of sensitivity to the tension of a sensible man fighting the irresistible lure of adventure. Downey Jr. has grown into the role. He seems far more relaxed; he's found his rhythm as Holmes. If you're a fan of Ritche and of the series, you'll love this movie.

A Game Of Shadows trumps Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes. Its a confident sequel that does everything better.

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The Girl Who Played With Fire (2010)

The follow-up to the fantastic 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo', suffers from the middle part of the trilogy syndrome. The film starts straight after the first film whilst trying to set-up the story for the third, without really having a story of its own to tell. Dragon Tattoo is simply one of the best thrillers in recent years. It was confidently cinematic, and took its time telling the complex plot. The trilogy was originally planned as a longer TV serial and it really shows in this film as key parts feel rushed and is no where near as cinematic as Tattoo.

Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) returns to Sweden, becomes a suspect in three murders and goes on the run. Journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) is sure Lisbeth is innocent, but realises she is being pursued by dangerous criminals who have a connection to her troubled past.

Delving deeper into the turbulent background of heroine Lisbeth Salander, the story bears the same potent combination of detective mystery, emotional yearning and physical brutality that propelled 'Dragon Tattoo' to success around the World. Unfortunately the sequel doesn't quite hit the same heights. The first film was more a mystery, where as this film is more an action film with a storyline thrown in. Lisbeth is now at the heart of the story, with a present-day plot about sex trafficking and political corruption turning out to be a way into Lisbeth's mysterious past. She gets a sort of Empire Strikes Back stand-off with her Father but she also has to face her step brother Ronald Niederman (Micke Spreitz) who has a condition where he doesn't feel pain!! Originally the part of Ronald was offered to Dolph Lungdren but he turned it down. If he decided to take the part it would have been his first role in his native Sweden. Lisbeth also gets a helping hand from a famous boxer (Paolo Roberto) who used to spar with her when she was younger. Boxer Paolo Roberto is featured as a character in the original novel, and now plays himself in the movie. As far as I know this is only one of the few times in film and literature that this has happened.


The catalyst for the plot is a story Millennium is planning on sex trafficking. When the writers of the story are murdered, Lisbeth is implicated when her fingerprints are found on the murder weapon. As the readers of the novel will know, it's Lisbeth's Father-a man the 12 year-old Lisbeth torched after he beat her mother-who holds the key to her destiny.

No doubt this film is still powerful and entertaining, but the story is hurried. The performances are still at a high standard but the third film needs to improve on this if it's to become a great foreign trilogy. If the American remake of 'Dragon Tattoo' is successful, it'll be interesting to see their take on the sequel.

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Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2009)

This fantastic thriller is based on the first book of a trilogy of one of the most important and popular novels in recent history. Written by the late Stieg Larson, Dragon Tattoo is a mix of social criticism, murder, mystery and suspense. It's also one of the best Swedish films ever made.

Stieg Larsson died in 2004, a year before The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was published. He also wrote another two books featuring the same characters and a rumoured fourth one in production. All three episodes of 'The Millennium Trilogy' have been released in the UK with an American remake planned for a Boxing day release this year. There's little doubt that the other two films will also get the remake treatment over the coming years.

Dragon Tattoo takes it's time with the separate stories of the leading characters which is slightly unusual for a fast paced thriller. It relies more on the pursuit of clues then on sudden twists. Few people will be shocked to find out who the villain is, but this won't limit the audiences enjoyment. The story follows journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist), a long serving social campaigner who works for Millennium magazine. After losing a libel case, Mikael is forced to take some time out and his hired by aged tycoon Henrik Vagner (Sven-Berti Taube) to look into the 40 year-old disappearance of his favourite niece. Computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) checks out Mikael as a preliminary to his hiring, and is intrigued by the old mystery. The two investigators team up and find themselves pursuing several serial killers. Lisbeth is currently on probation thanks to a back-story which ties in with the other novels and films, she has to cope with a sexually abusive social worker (which we see in truly horrific detail) and her own anger and rage.

The two different styles of the characters make for a very interesting mix. Mikael has very traditional methods of investigating, where as Lisbeth uses more modern methods which include breaking through any firewall. Lisbeth also has a photographic memory and is an excellent cryptologist. As the investigation continues, more secrets come out which include: ritual killings, incest rape and Nazi sympathisers. Be warned, this film isn't for the faint hearted.

By now, most people should know that Lisbeth Salander is the girl with the dragon tattoo and has become a major literacy heroine. She is played with great intensity by Noomi Rapace. Reports suggest Noomi took great pride in the role of Lisbeth. She trained for 7 weeks which included kick-boxing lessons, had her ears and nose pierced especially for the role and took her motorcycle test. Noomi looks set to have a great career after starring in Sherlock Holmes: The Game Of Shadows and is currently filming Ridley Scott's highly anticipated Sci-Fi film Prometheus. Lisbeth is a character with an interesting mix of screwed up victim and resourceful heroine, using objects like a golf club and a dildo to get the job done.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is a long movie, but its absorbs you in and keeps you there for the total running time. With two sequels already available, it's a blessing we don't have to wait to find out what happens next with Mikael and Lisbeth. A truly fantastic film.

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