Watched the movie Mr. Holmes, starring Sir Ian McKellen and Laura Linney last night and enjoyed it immensely. An elderly and retired Sherlock Holmes is haunted by the memory of his last case, one in which a young woman lost her life. It’s a race against time to try and uncover the truth while dealing with early dementia and crippling isolation.
I found Sir Ian McKellen did a remarkable job at portraying both the younger dashing Holmes and the aging Holmes we see through most of the movie. In one he’s just ending his successful career while the other battles to retain the one thing that made him special, his acute memory and insight. But he’s haunted by the fragmented memories of that last case, and in trying to write down the true events, as opposed to Dr. Watson’s account, he continuously faces his own impending mortality.
It’s a quiet tale of the famous detective that provides some new insight into his character that we may have overlooked before. How does a man so different and with such special abilities deal with normal folk. In this story we discover the answer is not well, and in accepting that we see Holmes struggle to reset his world view and attitude as the logic of his conclusions force him to accept his own failures at the end.
Wonderful story, aptly told, well worth watching when you want a quiet evening of detection and old world charm to fill your living room.
