Quite simply, the success of the new Sherlock Holmes movies rests on the inspired pairing of Robert Downey Jnr and Jude Law, both excellent actors whose laddish chemistry but pin-sharp timing is even tighter and more effective in this second movie and both provide much to enjoy. The sequel's brisk romp around Europe has a broader scope this time round and hardly draws breath; if one scene is weak, no matter, the movie soon moves on. Jared Harris gives a strong, coolly insane performance as Moriarty, although his threat works better as a personal vendetta than as a genuine powerful arch-villain, his manipulation of Governments coming across as narratively lightweight. The rest of the cast get little to do, although Stephen Fry steals every scene as Sherlock's brother. Never the tidiest of directors, Guy Ritchie delivers more of the same, with some lively set-pieces and the conceit of visualising Holmes's thought processes proving interesting but which defuse the momentum of every action sequence. The last scene plays one final and funny visual trick, leaving the audience in no doubt that this latest incarnation of Holmes is one that we want to see more of.
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