“Mr. Holmes” and the Power of Fiction

“Mr. Holmes” is a movie starring Sir Ian McKellon about Sherlock Holmes’ last case. It’s very clear from the beginning that this is a different Sherlock from “Elementary” or BBC’s “Sherlock”. This is an older Sherlock, one who is struggling and has retired to his bees already.

This story is based on the pastiche “A Slight Trick of the Mind”, which I haven’t actually read. From what I’ve seen though, it seems very similar to the movie. There seems to be a greater focus on Sherlock’s mind in the story though. I would say that’s just due to the medium, you can get into someone’s head a little deeper with a story than with a film since you’re seeing things from the third-person out of necessity in a film.

Anyways, there are three main storylines in this movie that all get woven together. The first is Sherlock in his retirement with his housekeeper Mrs. Monroe and her son Roger (and the bees) struggling with his health and memory. The second is Sherlock’s recent trip to Japan to find prickly ash, a plant that is supposed to give your health a boost. The third is Sherlock’s final case before retiring, one involving keeping an eye on his client’s wife.

The three tales are woven together beautifully as the viewers go through the story and watch Sherlock struggling to recall what happened during his final case and what took place in Japan that resulted in the final Sherlock that we see.

The original stories are used masterfully in this work. It’s almost like seeing the man behind them, as the stories are acknowledged as being something that Watson used to write, and things like the deerstalker and pipe that have appeared in the illustrations are included as well. It’s pretty amusing for Sherlock fans, who know that the famous deerstalker and pipe are never actually mentioned in the story, to see Sherlock deny ever having worn them.

The characters of the stories are also included, but never actually seen. Watson’s face is never shown, but he is still a powerful force behind the story, being the author of the books about Sherlock. Mycroft and Mrs. Hudson are also mentioned, but they similarly don’t play into the tale. This is truly a Sherlock who is out of this time.

One aspect that links together all of the three storylines is the power of fiction. Sherlock in his retirement is struggling to remember his last case and write it down for Roger to read, and trying to teach him about bee-keeping. In Japan, his friend turns out to have read the stories about Mr. Holmes and wants to meet the man behind the legends. And during his last case, he finds out the truth of the situation, but lays out all of the facts instead of deciding how to deal with the situation, and in doing so is unable to prevent the tragic ending. Each story reveals how fiction can be more useful than the truth, something that Sherlock never really considered before, being a man of science and logic. In the end, he learns from his last case and with his “first foray into fiction” sets things right with his friend in Japan.

Sir Ian really gives a powerful and authentic performance as an aging Sherlock, it was a pleasure to see him work.

This was a wonderfully crafted movie that is sure to entertain you and make you think. If you’re sick of the other Sherlock Holmes movies out there, give this one a shot because it really is unlike any other one that I have seen.