Synopsis
In 1947, long-retired and near the end of his life, Sherlock Holmes grapples with an unreliable memory and must rely on his housekeeper's son as he revisits the still-unsolved case that led to his retirement.
Your Movie Library
Cast
- Ian McKellenSherlock Holmes
- Laura LinneyMrs. Munro
- Milo ParkerRoger
- Hiroyuki SanadaTamiki Umezaki
- Roger AllamDr. Barrie
- Frances de la TourMadame Schirmer
- Hattie MorahanAnn Kelmot
- Phil DavisInspector Gilbert
- Patrick KennedyThomas Kelmot
- John SessionsMycroft Holmes
Recommendations
- 80
Variety
The more vital subject of Mr. Holmes turns out to be our need for stories themselves and, in particular, the role of fiction as an escape from the pain and loss of everyday life. - 80
Total Film
Anyone expecting opera and opium will be disappointed. But a majestic McKellen rescues a safe script, giving us a fresh look at an icon even the most casual viewer will be (over)familar with. - 75
IndieWire
In an age of flashier adaptations of Conan Doyle’s classic literary character, Condon's film might be appreciated as a refreshingly old-fashioned outing, even with its own variations on the character in mind. - 70
The Hollywood Reporter
This is a ruminative film of minor-key rewards, driven by an impeccably nuanced performance from McKellen as a solitary 93-year-old man enfeebled by age, yet still canny and even compassionate in ways that surprise and comfort him. - 70
The New Yorker
In truth, Mr. Holmes is not Holmesian at all. It is Jamesian, as shown by a wonderful encounter between Kelmot and Holmes — an attraction of opposites, you might say — on a garden bench. - 60
The Guardian
It is an elegant if slight piece of work, touching and intriguing by turns, but hampered structurally in that it relies on two separate flashback sections. - 60
The Telegraph
This is Holmes intentionally slowed down to a hobbling, reflective, end-of-life pace: dare we call it refreshing? It’s a film to rummage around in, picking up old clues, considering their meaning, and turning them in your palm. - 60
Time Out London
Sir Ian McKellen is a pleasure to watch as an elderly Sherlock Holmes, though the drama isn't as compelling as it might have been.
