Sherlock Holmes

"Nothing escapes him."

2009 2h 9m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

🍅

69%

FRESH

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

7.5

IMDB

★7.2TMDB · 15,090🍅69%Rotten Tomatoes●57Metacritic★7.5IMDB · 702,387

ActionAdventureMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Eccentric consulting detective Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson battle to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy England.

“Nothing escapes him.”

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Cast

Robert Downey Jr.
Sherlock Holmes
Jude Law
Dr. John Watson
Rachel McAdams
Irene Adler
Mark Strong
Lord Henry Blackwood
Eddie Marsan
Inspector Lestrade
Robert Maillet
Dredger
Geraldine James
Mrs. Hudson
Kelly Reilly
Mary Morstan

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Guy Ritchie
Writers: Anthony Peckham, Michael Robert Johnson, Simon Kinberg
Languages: English, French
Countries: United States of America, Germany

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $90M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 5.8× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 17 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Germany.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Sherlock Holmes Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Guy Ritchie, shot by Philippe Rousselot. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Hans Zimmer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Guy Ritchie directs. Philippe Rousselot behind the camera. Hans Zimmer scores. James Herbert cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America, Germany. Dialogue in English, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $90M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Made its money back 5.8× over at the box office.
3Released 17 years ago.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.
5International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Germany.
6Part of the "Sherlock Holmes Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
7Directed by Guy Ritchie, shot by Philippe Rousselot. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
8Original score by Hans Zimmer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
9Editor James Herbert shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
10Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law and Rachel McAdams carry the top of the cast.
11Marketing tagline: "Nothing escapes him.".
12IMDB entry: tt0988045 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
1315,090 TMDB user ratings logged — serious cultural footprint.
14Classified under 24 themes, including "london, england", "based on novel or book", "detective", "scotland yard".

The technical file

Cinematography: Philippe Rousselot
Original score: Hans Zimmer
Editing: James Herbert
Production design: Sarah Greenwood
Makeup / hair: Nathaniel De'Lineadeus
VFX supervisor: Chas Jarrett
Sound: Matt Gruber
Stunt coordinator: Mark Southworth
Runtime: 129 min · 2h 9m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $90,000,000
Box office: $524,028,679
Return: 582% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Rotten Tomatoes: 69% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 57/100
IMDB rating: 7.5/10 · 702,387 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

Nominated for 2 Oscars. 10 wins & 31 nominations total

Part of

Sherlock Holmes Collection

A film series starring Robert Downey Jr. as the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes, with Jude Law as Dr. John Watson.

Also by

Guy Ritchie

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

JPV8522020-08-28
★ 7/10
Fun adaptation of the classic character played wonderfully by Robert Downey Jr. who has some nice banter with Jude Law's Holmes as well as the beautiful Rachel McAdams. I like Mark Strong but he doesn't have a whole lot to work with. It's also a bit long however I was entertained. 3.75/5
Wuchak2021-12-12
★ 7/10
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
CinemaSerf2025-08-09
★ 7/10
With the evil “Lord Blackwood” (Mark Strong) now safely strung up and cut down, “Sherlock Holmes” (Robert Downey Jr) and his Boswell “Dr. Watson” (Jude Law) are relaxed as the latter man plans his impending nuptials to “Mary” (Kelly Reilly). Of course, it being Victorian London, the next crime spree is never far away, only this time it concerns some of the highest-placed people in the government. What’s more, their former antagonist appears to have risen from the grave and resumed his previous, nefarious, habits. Pretty swiftly, our sleuth deduces a certain connection with the Grand Lodge, and is almost as quickly embroiled in a complex series of scenarios that could rock the very fabric of the British Empire. Just to add to his woes, erstwhile belle “Irene Adler” (Rachel McAdams) shows up and what’s the betting she has a plan all of her own? Though the CGI elements of this have dated somewhat, this is still a quirkily constructed crime drama that allows RDJ to present a cerebrally entertaining and frequently quite pithy characterisation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s fastidious detective. His slightly aloof methods irritate his friend, “Watson” but nowhere nearly as effectively as they do that of Scotland Yard’s finest “Lestrade” (Eddie Marsan) who is on solid form here. Law is ok, no better than that, and McAdams doesn’t really feature enough to make so much impact - so it is all really left to the star, some authentic looking locations, some magic from Hans Zimmer and a delicious degree of mysticism and superstition amidst the greasy, gas-lit, squalor of London. It’s a classy production that is consistently paced to drip-feed us precisely nothing right until the end - but will “Sherlock” manage to save the day, the gal and the wedding?