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Sherlock - Case of Evil

Sherlock - Case of Evil

List Price: $9.99
Your Price: $9.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Incredible Updated Version Of The Great Detective!
Review: As a fan of Holmes & Watson, I picked this disc up solely on the fact that Vincent D'onofrio - who never picks a lousy role or movie - is on the cover.

What really surprised me was the high quality & top notch storytelling. Honestly - this is on par with Billy Wilder's 'The Private Life' or Nicholas Meyer's 'Seven Percent Solution'. No exaggeration. 'Case Of Evil' will be a welcome DVD addition to a true fans library.

Viewers will be treated to a gritty, human Holmes - one that stays true to the character but reveals a more intimate and flawed person coexisting within that machine-like mind. Craving fame, happily accepting the adulation of many female admirers, and desirous of public recognition - wow. :)

And you won't be disappointed with the always energetic Vincent D'onofrio. I can't help but enjoy this delicious twist: He plays the crime fighting Holmes-like character Detective Goren on 'Law & Order Criminal Intent' deducing the bizarre schemes and motivations of criminals - and then simultaneously accepting the role as Holmes' archnemesis Professor Moriarty - just fantastic!

Filmed entirely in Romania and on a less-than-blockbuster budget - the filmmakers did an outstanding job of recreating London circa 1880. I hope that the "made for tv movie" label does not deter you from watching a wonderful adaptation of Conan Doyle's creation.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: okay
Review: Case of Evil is okay. It's not really Holmes, but it's got it's moments. I liked the cast. Holmes fans will probably be dissapointed. Non-fans of Holmes won't probably watch it. It all plays like a missed opportunity. Who knows who this was made for, but it could have been worse.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Oh, Sherlock, Where Art Thou?`
Review: Few adaptations of Doyle's famed detective franchise stray as far from the original as this one, even if its plot borrows too often from a better distraction, "Young Sherlock Holmes." In "Sherlock: Case of Evil," we get the Gen-X version of the sleuth's adventures--blank stares that are supposed to represent some sort of cryptic angst, needlessly angry characters whose inability to get along quickly grows tiresome, and a production that meanders between parody (a scene where a sex-hungry Victorian takes forever to strip herself of undergarments is almost Mel Brooks-like) and homage (including scenes and setups that appear to have been swiped from "Moonraker," "The Third Man," "A Study in Terror," a Discovery Channel special on Cold War spies, and the aforementioned Barry Levinson project). It isn't that James D'Arcy (terrific in "Master and Commander: Far Side of the World") is awful as Holmes--he just isn't Holmes in either appearance or behavior. From indulging in absinthe to having threesomes to springing into action only after a tragedy has occured, he seems more a creation of Brett Easton Ellis than Arthur Conan Doyle. Robert Morlidge does slightly better, despite his constant scowl--a minor brilliance here is that instead of being bumbling or clueless, his Watson keeps coming to completely reasonable--but wrong--conclusions about the future, such as the subway completely replacing personal vehicles or tobacco being outlawed because, unlike cocaine or morphine, it has no medicinal value. But Vincent D'Onofrio's Harry Lime-esque Dr. Moriarty is so flamboyant and theatrical, he makes the Jon Lovitz thespian character on "Saturday Night Live" look like Lee Strasberg. The murky plot has something to do with Moriarty somehow finding time to invent heroin in between maiming Holme's brother, Mycroft, and faking his own death a couple times. The first half of the film nearly put me to sleep, but the second half picks up substantially in both pace and sensibility, nearly making up for the time wasted, even if Holmes somehow seems to find ammunition in a revolver that a few moments before was empty (unless I missed something--which is possible, as I was droopy-eyed by that point.) For the most part, "Sherlock: Case of Evil" is a well-photographed but amateurish mess with a few moments of interest . . . about what to expect nowadays.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Game's Afoot
Review: For years the typical Sherlock Holmes has been defined by Basil Rathbone with his memorable profile. This movie bends the rules of the canon Sherlock and turns him into something new and fresh and it ultimately works mainly because of the actors involved.

Sherlock Holmes is pitted against the nemesis, Professor Moriarty. At stake is the drug market, which Moriarty is trying to control. Sherlock is pushed to his limits as he tries to capture his rival and protect a woman he has come to love.

This Sherlock is not your typical, woman disdaining, snooty detective. This Sherlock is arrogant, womanizing and quite willing to go on a drunken blitz when the moment comes, but he's also more human than the canon version. James D'Arcy gives Sherlock an aloof demeanor yet is still very vulnerable, especially where his emotions are concerned. Richard E. Grant is also memorable in his brief role as Mycroft. Watching D'Arcy and Grant act for all they're worth against each other in their one big scene was a treat. There are less than memorable moments with Gabrielle Angwar though. Her character hardly has an impact, which is a point that comes to play later in the movie to prove she SHOULD have had an impact. The story is your basic detective mystery with the surprising addition of a really good sword fight at the end.

While this Sherlock doesn't follow the typical rules, he's still worth a watch and a welcome fresh addition to the Rathbone staple.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: swinging shagging sherlock
Review: I cant really give a full review of this movie as I turned it off about 15 minutes into it. I really tried to like this movie, but it is so off course and unfaithful to the spirit of Holmes. Dont waste your money or your time if you are a real Sherlock fan.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Have these people ever read a Sherlock Holmes book?
Review: I cant really give a full review of this movie as I turned it off about 15 minutes into it. I really tried to like this movie, but it is so off course and unfaithful to the spirit of Holmes. Dont waste your money or your time if you are a real Sherlock fan.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Is this Sherlock Holmes?
Review: I have been a Sherlock Holmes fan since I was a kid and I have to say this is one of the worst Holmes films out there (even Matt Frewer's Holmes is better). I don't mind leaving canon behind for new and original stories, but completley reinventing the whole history just doesn't work. The only good thing about this film is the portrayal of Moriarity by Vincent D'onofrio. His Moriarity is as eccentric as Holmes is supposed to be. However, even with D'onofrio's performance I can't recommend this one.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Poor revisionism
Review: I have been a Sherlockian for more than 30 years, but I have always loved good revisionist Sherlockiana. I am a big fan of Billy Wilder's PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES. I adore both films in which Holmes meets Jack the Ripper (STUDY IN TERROR and MURDER BY DECREE). I am a very big fan of Charles Marowitz's "blasphemous" play SHERLOCK'S LAST CASE. I love the latest anthology of short stories, SHADOWS OVER BAKER STREET, which stick Holmes into H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. But this film, first shown on USA network early in 2003, is a "revisionist" Holmes adventure WITHOUT Holmes, or Watson, or Moriarty. Holmes is portrayed as a drug-soaked dimwit who hasn't got a clue. Why or how did he ever become a detective? Watson works in the morgue at the Yard. The two are not partners. Moriarty is a silly, flamboyant fop. As a Holmes buff, I do not shy away from "playing" with the Doyle characters, but I *do* insist that a genuinely Sherlockian foundation be built upon. Otherwise, what's the point? They could have renamed this movie's characters and no one would have suspected that it was intended as a piece of Sherlockian revisionism. VERY disappointing.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Confused mess indeed (not the move but the DVD product)
Review: I liked the movie; I have seen it on TV two years ago. But watch out. It may happen to you if you try order the same product from amazon.com. I have placed my order with an Amazon Merchant, and what happened. Instead of getting a brand new product, with following attributes (DVD Release Date: August 24, 2004; Closed-captioned, Widescreen, as it is stated), I got NO Closed-captioned, NO Widescreen product (DVD Release Date: 2003) in a shabby box. It was NOT in the original packing and it was NOT new but already used copy! I really felt cheated.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A New Sherlock !!!
Review: I watched many Sherlock Holmes movies and I thought this was a totally different movie than the "standard" Sherlock Holmes films. In this movie you see a young, kind of arrogant Holmes but the future relationship with Dr. Watson and his development into THE Sherlock Holmes are visible.

I very much enjoyed this story and anybody who likes Sherlock Holmes will enjoy it too ! Give it a try ...


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