Mr. Holmes

There have been many different incarnations and tales of Sherlock Holmes over the years, with countless adaptations led by many different actors. The majority of them were taken directly from the stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. While most of them focused on Holmes during his time at Baker Street (or his youth, in the supremely enjoyable Young Sherlock Holmes), his later years had never really been explored. Mr. Holmes accomplishes this quite wonderfully and exquisitely. 

Sherlock Holmes (played by Ian McKellen) has long since retired from the detective business and living a quiet life in the English Countryside a few years after the end of World War II. He is looked after by Mrs. Munro (played by Laura Linney) and her young son Roger (played by Milo Parker). Mrs. Munro tries her best to tolerate Sherlock's eccentricities whereas her son looks upon him with a sort of hero worship. Sherlock is getting on with age and dealing with the slow loss of his once sharp intellect. He is trying to write an account of his last case he took and the woman at the center of it, a story previously documented incorrectly by the late John Watson. His aim is to correct the story, if only he could remember it. Prodding him along is young Roger and the two make an unlikely pair as Roger helps jog the old detective's memory so he can put the one case that still haunts him behind him once and for all. 

I must say Ian McKellen gives a fantastic performance as Sherlock Holmes, both at the older man and as the younger Sherlock as we see in flashbacks. He captures both handsomely, giving his own unique take on the character. He has plenty to work with as well, as we see Sherlock as a much older man than we are used to, trying to keep his mind sharp through various methods. In fact, there is a subplot, told in flashbacks, as Holmes travels to Japan to recover a rare plant that grows there, the prickly ash. He believes extracts from the plant will help stave off the early signs of dementia. He also finds himself re-evaluating the choices he made in his life. Before, he always believed his work and his intellect would be enough to make a satisfactory life for himself. Now, nearing the end of his life, he finds that may not be true any more. Laura Linney is equally wonderful as Mrs. Munro, who is contemplating a career change and taking up a friend's job offer in another town. She fears she will no longer be able to manage and assist Mr. Holmes as he continues to age, while also potentially providing a better life for her son. Roger meanwhile is quite content to remain where he is, spending time with Sherlock and helping him look after his beehives he keeps on the property. It is the unlikely friendship between Sherlock and Roger that provides the heart and emotional backbone of the story.  

Bill Condon directed the film, mounting a handsome and charming production. The script was written by Jeffrey Hatcher from Mitch Cullin's novel A Slight Trick of the Mind. Unlike other Sherlock Holmes tales, this one is light on adventure but is rather a tender and moving tale focused much more on Holmes himself. The film also makes some fun nods to previous incarnations of Holmes, such as addressing the deer stalker hat as an invention of Watson. They also cast Nicholas Rowe, who played Sherlock in Young Sherlock Holmes, as an on-screen Sherlock Holmes in a movie Holmes sees in a theatre in London. I thought it was a nice touch and a nod to both Young Sherlock Holmes as well as the Basil Rathbone films that they take delight in poking a little fun at. 

Overall, Mr. Holmes is a fantastic and well done look into the later life of Sherlock Holmes. I think any true fan of the famous consulting detective would enjoy it immensely. I certainly did.