Review: World’s most celebrated detective, Sherlock Holmes returns to screen old and fragile. Without Guy Ritchie’s over-the-top action to Robert Downey Jr.’s fashion or Benedict Cumberbatch’s flamboyance, Mr. Holmes is his sweeter, lite episode with warm performance by Sir Ian McKellen (X-Men franchise, The Lord of The Rings & The Hobbit trilogy) as the titular detective.
In the dusk of his age, the talented Mr. Holmes has abandoned his famous Baker Street house and moved to a solitary farmland by the sea in Sussex, where he lives with a housekeeper, Mrs. Munro (Laura Linney) and her son, Roger (Milo Parker). While his prowess has deteriorated and his memory starts fading, Mr. Holmes is endeavoring ambitiously to recall the last case he handled. Thing is, he hardly remembers names; how would he manage to remember moments?
Apparently, Mr. Holmes is a deep character study of the titular character in coping with his identity crisis. He’s battling people’s perception about his “fictional self” – which apparently is a people’s favorite – as described in fictions by his best friend, Watson. On the other side, he’s also battling dementia and paranoia which slowly consumes him – forcing his “inner” Holmes to fight his condition.
However, the sweetest part of Mr. Holmes is the sudden chemistry between Holmes and his “new” Watson in smaller scale, Roger. There’s a symbiotically intense bond between both of them which makes Mr. Holmes resurrecting his ol’ time glory, although in a simpler and lighter way. Kudos to the exceptional Sir Ian McKellen and Milo Parker.
Even though Bill Condon’s take on Sherlock Holmes isn’t the best one among other adaptations, it’s conceivably the warmest.
Mr. Holmes (2015)
Drama, Mystery, Adaptation Directed by: Bill Condon Written by: Jeffrey Hatcher based on “A Slight Trick of the Mind” by Mitch Cullin and character by Arthur Conan Doyle Starred by: Ian McKellen, Laura Linney, Hiroyuki Sanada, Milo Parker Runtime: 104 mins Rated PG
Detektif fiktif kenamaan dunia, Sherlock Holmes, kembali ke layar besar. Namun, ia tidak tampil full-action seperti Robert Downey Jr. di bawah penyutradaraan Guy Ritchie; ia bahkan tak tampil seflamboyan Benedict Cumberbatch di TV. Mr. Holmes tampil dalam episode kehidupannya yang lebih adem ayem dengan penampilan hangat Sir Ian McKellen sebagai sang detektif.
Di usianya yang makin senja, Mr. Holmes yang telah pensiun, meninggalkan rumahnya di Baker Street untuk mengasingkan diri di sebuah farmland di Sussex. Ia tinggal dan beternak lebah di sana dengan ditemani seorang housekeeper, Mrs Munro (Laura Linney) bersama putranya, Roger (Milo Parker), yang ternyata mengidolakannya. Saat keahliannya mulai menurun dan ingatannya mulai memudar, Mr. Holmes berusaha mengingat kasus terakhir yang ia tangani untuk ia tulis dalam sebuah buku. Masalahnya, mengingat nama pun ia kesulitan; bagaimana ia bisa mengingat detail?
Mr. Holmes merefleksikan sebuah studi karakter yang mendalam tentang state of mind karakter utamanya dalam menghadapi krisis identitasnya. Dia tengah menghadapi persepsi orang-orang tentang “sisi fiksional”nya menurut fiksi karangan sahabatnya Watson—versi yang justru dicintai orang-orang. Di sisi lain, ia pun tengah menghadapi dementia dan paranoia yang makin lama makin menggerogotinya.
Bagian paling manis dalam Mr. Holmes justru adalah chemistry Holmes dengan “Watson” barunya, Roger. Ada simbiosis mutualisme antara keduanya yang mampu membangkitkan masa kejayaan Holmes, meskipun dengan skala yang lebih kecil dan sederhana. Ada ikatan intens yang sukses diterjemahkan ke layar oleh McKellen dan Parker.
Sedikit berbeda dan kurang menggigit, Sherlock Holmes versi Bill Condon mungkin bukan yang terbaik, tapi jelas yang terhangat sampai saat ini.
Mr. Holmes movie review is written by Paskalis Damar. Review film Mr. Holmes diterjemahkan ke dalam Bahasa Indonesia juga oleh Paskalis Damar.
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