3. "Sherlock Holmes" (2009)

"My mind rebels at stagnation; give me problems, give me work."

(Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes)

Sherlock Holmes is based on the fictional detective of the same name, first introduced to the world in 1887. The detective, penned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is found in 4 novels and over 50 short stories. He is a "consulting detective," what would now be termed a private detective, and is well-known for his deductive reasoning, attention to minute details, and rather eccentric personal habits. It was nominated for two Academy Awards in 2010 (Art Direction and Music Score) and won an Art Directors Guild Award (USA), a Golden Globe Award (USA), an Empire Award (UK), an Irish Film and Television Award, two Teen Choice Awards, and a Visual Effects Society Award (USA).

The Plot: The film opens with Sherlock and his trusty sidekick, Dr. Watson, solving a case involving serial kidnappings and murders. An MP of the House of Lords (Lord Blackwood) is the perpetrator, and he is sentenced to death. Later, Lord Blackwood is seen alive and well, apparently resurrected from the grave. Several other murders take place, and Holmes and Watson seek to find out the truth regarding Lord Blackwell. Black magic and new-fangled technologies (namely, a time-bomb) are prominently displayed in the film, as are Holmes's eccentricities and famous deductive skills. Two plots of a more personal nature emerge, with Sherlock's old flame, Irene Adler, returning to London and antagonizing him, and Dr. Watson's impending marriage (which would sever the professional relationship between Watson and Holmes) also bothers Sherlock.

The Relevance: The Sherlock Holmes stories made detective novels famous. They were the first to look to private detectives, rather than the police, to solve crimes. The history of policing makes this a logical shift in literature. 1880's London police, while finally professional and organized (the Metropolitan Police Department and Scotland Yard were created in 1829 by Sir Robert Peele, which is why English policemen are known as "Bobbies"), were often corrupt and not well-trained. The stereotypical film attitude towards police is to portray them as stupid, inept, and useless; Sherlock Holmes is no different, but mostly because it was actually true at the time. Sherlock Holmes is the most well-known private detective in history, so no crime film blog would be complete without the film adaptation of the literary sensation.