_**Sherlock Holmes goes hyperkinetic action with impossible CGI**_

In Victorian London, Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) & Dr. Watson (Jude Law) enter into a clash of wits and brawn with a serial killing Lord involved in black magic who, apparently, has risen from the dead (Mark Strong). Rachel McAdams and Kelly Reilly play the women in the protagonists’ lives.

Directed by Guy Ritchie, “Sherlock Holmes” (2009) takes Arthur Conan Doyle’s popular Victorian detective and successfully morphs him into an action hero with rapid-fire dialogues and over-the-top thrills. It’s like an old Hammer flick on steroids, but it works as long as you can keep up with the snappy dialogues, which are often mumbled by Downey Jr. (so you’ll have to listen closely or use the subtitles).

The interesting thing about the character of Sherlock Holmes is his talent for making sweeping deductions based on the slightest details and this flick highlights that to amusing effect, like when Holmes easily assesses Watson’s fiancé at the restaurant (which is one of the movie’s best scenes). Speaking of the ladies, both Rachel McAdams and Kelly Reilly really shine here.

The film runs 2 hours, 8 minutes, and was shot in England.

GRADE: B