Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Tom's Two Cents: "Mr. Holmes" at the Angelika



For fans of Sherlock Holmes or the great British actor Ian McKellen or just Britain itself, "Mr. Holmes" is a treat, both funny (in the British way) and sad, perplexing, mysterious and at times heart- wrenching.

Sherlock Holmes, aging and bereft of his partner Dr. Watson, has retired to the country with a bright housekeeper (Laura Linney) and her charming son to take care of him, even as he takes care of his bees, which have been attacked by an unknown killer.  Trying desperately to finish a story based on an old case, struggling with problems of aging and the mystery of who or what is killing his bees, old Sherlock well-nigh comes to an end himself, but no, in an ending perhaps not worthy of A. Conan Doyle, he is saved both physically and spiritually to solve another crime on another day!

Woven through the personal Sherlock story is a real crime for him to solve, involving a mysterious husband/wife relationship and a tragic conclusion and denouement.  This film is beautiful, well-acted and free from all the crass sensationalism of an American film-- in other words, it's BRITISH!!!

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