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Mr Holmes
Bill Condon
(2014)
99min
PG Certificate
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Review
Our Score
by
Emma Simmonds
This mystery from director Bill Condon (
Gods and Monsters
) takes a sympathetic look at the agonies of old age, as it finds one of the great fictional minds failing. Based on Mitch Cullin's novel
A Slight Trick of the Mind
and set in 1947, it imagines Sherlock Holmes (Ian McKellen) as a frail 93-year-old retiree and enthusiastic beekeeper living with his housekeeper (Laura Linney) and her young son (Milo Parker). Haunted by scattershot memories, Holmes pieces together the fragments of his final case, in a story told partly in flashbacks. McKellen's face is as compelling as any narrative and, assisted by Tobias A Schliessler's sensitive cinematography accentuating every line, he subtly communicates Holmes's complex psychology through a range of scowls, sneers and scoffs. The lively Parker makes for a delightful companion and although Linney's wobbly accent distracts, she delivers dramatic conviction aplenty.
Mr Holmes
resists the sensational reveals of traditional murder mysteries, opting for more moving conclusions. The ponderous pace will prove testing to some but this is a film that builds in power almost imperceptibly as it works its way deep under the skin.
Summary
An elderly Sherlock Holmes retires to a seaside farmhouse in the aftermath of the Second World War, and struggles to cope with his diminished faculties. Assisted by his housekeeper's inquisitive son, he tries to piece together the events of the one case that he failed to solve. Period mystery based on Mitch Cullin's novel A Slight Trick of the Mind, starring Ian McKellen, Laura Linney and Milo Parker.
Cast & Crew
Sherlock Holmes
Ian McKellen
Mrs Munro
Laura Linney
Roger
Milo Parker
Tamiki Umezaki
Hiroyuki Sanada
Ann Kelmot
Hattie Morahan
Thomas Kelmot
Patrick Kennedy
Dr Barrie
Roger Allam
Insp Gilbert
Philip Davis
Director
Bill Condon
see more
Other Information
Language:
English / Japanese
Colour
Theatrical distributor:
Entertainment One
Available on:
DVD and Blu-ray
Released on:
19 Jun 2015
Drama
Full Episode Guide
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