Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Company type	Film
Industry	Motion picture
Founded	2011
Founder	Guy Ritchie (director), Dan Lin, Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey (producers)
Products	Historical mystery action movie

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is a 2011 historical mystery action movie serving as the follow-up to the 2009 Sherlock Holmes. The film was helmed by director Guy Ritchie and produced by Dan Lin, Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, and Susan Downey. The script was crafted by Kieran Mulroney and Michele Mulroney.

Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law return to portray Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, respectively, alongside Noomi Rapace as Madame Simza "Sim" Heron, Jared Harris as Professor Moriarty, Stephen Fry as Mycroft Holmes, Kelly Reilly as Mary Morstan, Eddie Marsan as Inspector Lestrade, and Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler. The narrative incorporates aspects from Arthur Conan Doyle’s tales, notably "The Final Problem" and "The Adventure of the Empty House". The storyline follows Holmes and Watson traveling across Europe with a Romani seer to prevent Professor Moriarty’s scheme aimed at igniting a widespread European war.

Critics offered mixed reactions: the film was lauded for its dynamic action scenes and strong lead performances but faced criticism for its limited use of the supporting cast, particularly McAdams. Financially, it performed well, earning over $543 million globally against a production budget of $125 million. Plans for a third film, to be directed by Dexter Fletcher, remain stalled in development.

Plot

Set in 1891, escalating bombings attributed to political extremists push France and Germany toward war. Detective Sherlock Holmes narrowly stops a bomb intended for surgeon Dr. Hoffmanstahl and Holmes’s former lover, Irene Adler. Holmes uncovers that their employer, Professor James Moriarty, orchestrated the attacks and subsequently orders their assassination after they attempt to escape. He explains to Dr. John Watson that he has connected a series of murders, terrorist acts, and corporate takeovers back to Moriarty.

At Watson’s bachelor party, Holmes meets his brother Mycroft and shortly thereafter encounters Madame Simza, a Romani fortune-teller who was supposed to receive a letter from her brother René. Holmes fends off an assassin targeting her, but she manages to flee.

Following Watson’s wedding to Mary Morstan, Holmes confronts Moriarty, who mocks him over Adler’s death and threatens Watson and Mary’s safety. While traveling on their honeymoon train to Brighton, Watson and Mary are attacked by Moriarty’s men. Holmes saves Mary by pushing her into a river where Mycroft rescues her. After overcoming the assailants, Holmes and Watson find Simza in Paris, who reveals that her brother René works under Moriarty and may have revealed his plans.

Simza guides them to an anarchist faction coerced by Moriarty into planting bombs. They deduce that an explosive is hidden at the Paris Opera, but it detonates prematurely at a nearby hotel, killing businessmen as a diversion for the murder of Alfred Meinhard by Sebastian Moran, Moriarty’s expert marksman. Meinhard’s death allows Moriarty to gain control over his arms manufacturing plant in Heilbronn.

At the German factory, Moriarty captures Holmes and subjects him to torture while Watson battles Moran. Holmes exposes Moriarty’s strategy: acquiring stakes in companies profiting from war to instigate global conflict for financial gain.

Watson uses a cannon to destroy Moran’s watchtower, causing it to collapse onto the warehouse imprisoning Holmes. They escape together, with Holmes predicting that Moriarty will attempt to spark an international crisis at a peace conference in Switzerland. At the summit, they identify René disguised as an ambassador following radical reconstructive surgery as the assassin.

Holmes confronts Moriarty during a chess game on a balcony. Meanwhile, Watson and Simza thwart René’s assassination attempt; however, Moran kills René. Although war is avoided for now, Moriarty remains convinced that Europe will eventually descend into conflict. Holmes reveals he swapped Moriarty’s diary containing his schemes with a copy; Mary decrypted the original and passed it to Inspector Lestrade, who confiscates Moriarty’s assets and donates his wealth to charities supporting war victims.

Expecting a confrontation, Holmes acknowledges that Moriarty holds the advantage due to an injured shoulder. As Moriarty threatens Watson and Mary, Holmes pulls him over the balcony just as Watson arrives; both plunge into the Reichenbach Falls.

Following Holmes’s funeral, Watson receives a breathing apparatus from Mycroft and suspects that Holmes might still be alive. Meanwhile, Holmes secretly reads Watson's memoirs and adds a question mark after "The End".

Production

After the 2009 release of Sherlock Holmes achieved commercial success, Warner Bros. swiftly approved a follow-up film. Director Guy Ritchie abandoned plans for a Lobo adaptation, and Robert Downey Jr. withdrew from Cowboys & Aliens to reprise his role.

Rachel McAdams, initially hesitant, eventually agreed to appear briefly, while Noomi Rapace was chosen as the female lead. This casting aligned with producer Joel Silver's approach of introducing unique female characters reminiscent of Bond girls in each installment. Silver mentioned the difficulties in convincing McAdams to accept a minor role but admitted the decision proved effective. The storyline drew inspiration from Conan Doyle's "The Final Problem" and was designed as an independent narrative set one year after the original film.

Filming took place in various locations, including the steamship PS Waverley on the English Channel, Didcot Railway Centre with extensive green screen usage, Victoria Bridge in Worcestershire, Hampton Court Palace, and Oxford University. Principal photography also occurred in Strasbourg, France, notably near Strasbourg Cathedral for the opening assassination and bombing sequences. Additional UK locations featured Kent’s Fort Amherst, Knole, The Historic Dockyard Chatham, The White Cliffs of Dover, Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, and Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire.

Music

The soundtrack was composed by Hans Zimmer, who fused compositions from Johann Strauss II, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ennio Morricone, and Franz Schubert with traditional Romani musical elements. Zimmer, alongside director Guy Ritchie and several musicians, traveled through France, Italy, and Slovakia to study regional music styles. Impressed by the local talent, Zimmer invited 13 musicians specializing in violin and accordion to Vienna for recording sessions where their authentic sounds were incorporated into the score. A portion of the soundtrack’s earnings was dedicated to aiding impoverished Romani communities.

Release

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows debuted on 16 December 2011 across Canada, Mexico, Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom; it was subsequently released on 25 December 2011 in most other territories; Australia, Poland, and Spain received it on 5 January 2012.

Home media

The movie became available on DVD and Blu-ray on 12 June 2012 for Region 1, while regions Region 2 and Region 4 saw releases on 14 May 2012.

Box office

Globally, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows accumulated $186.8 million domestically in North America and $357 million internationally, amounting to a total of $543.4 million worldwide. This positioned it as the twelfth highest-grossing film worldwide for 2011.

On its opening day in North America, it earned $14.6 million, a decline compared to the previous film’s $24.6 million debut. The opening weekend generated $39.6 million—approximately two-thirds of its predecessor’s initial earnings—and ultimately ranked ninth among US box office hits for that year.

Internationally, the film opened with $14.6 million during its first weekend, securing third place at the box office abroad. It then led overseas markets for three consecutive weekends in January 2012 and exceeded the original film’s foreign gross of $315 million. In its largest market outside North America—comprising the UK, Ireland, and Malta—the film debuted with £3.83 million ($5.95 million) over three days, surpassing the original’s two-day £3.08 million opening; total earnings there reached $42.2 million. Additional international revenue included $28.4 million from the Commonwealth of Independent States and $24.5 million from Italy.

Critical reception

According to the review compilation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 60% approval rating derived from 230 critiques, with an average score of 6 out of 10. The critical consensus on the platform describes Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows as an engaging tale propelled by its well-paired leads, though it ultimately falters in replicating the polished excitement of its predecessor. On Metacritic, the movie earned a score of 48 out of 100 based on 38 reviews, signifying "mixed or average" opinions. Viewer feedback collected by CinemaScore resulted in an average grade of "A−," surpassing the original film's "B" rating.

Roger Ebert, who awarded three stars to the initial installment, increased his rating to three-and-a-half stars for this sequel, lauding it as "high-caliber entertainment" that introduces "refinement and invention" to the established formula. He particularly commended the interactions between Holmes and Moriarty. Xan Brooks from The Guardian gave a four-star rating out of five. James Berardinelli assigned three out of four stars, considering it a more robust and fully realized production. In contrast, Keith Phipps of The A.V. Club opined that the film "sets its sights lower than the modest ambitions of its predecessor and still falls short." Ian Nathan from Empire rated it three stars, describing the sequel as "larger, improved, and funnier," despite expressing reservations about Sim's performance.

Multiple reviewers commented on McAdams' limited screen presence. Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal remarked that she "disappears far too quickly," which detracted from the lively spirit that contributed to the first movie’s unexpected success. Scott Mendelson from The Huffington Post observed that McAdams displayed greater personality and charm in this installment and appreciated her portrayal as an antagonist. Charlotte Skeoch provided a mixed assessment, criticizing the minimal roles given to McAdams, Reilly, Rapace, and Fry.

Emmet Asher-Perrin of Tor.com welcomed Adler's brief departure, noting that McAdams' character never quite fit with this version of Holmes. New York Times critic A. O. Scott expressed disappointment over Marsan's absence. Rachel Bowles critiqued Rapace and Fry’s performances, suggesting that Mycroft’s scenes underutilized Fry’s nuanced humor.

In 2015, Scout Tafoya from RogerEbert.com featured A Game of Shadows in his "The Unloved" series, commending its stylistic editing influenced by Soviet montage techniques and emphasizing the central Holmes-Watson relationship. He praised their witty exchanges for adding emotional depth often missing in large-scale productions and ranked it as his eighth favorite film released in the 21st century.

Accolades

Compilation of awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominees	Outcome	References
2012	Saturn Awards	Best Action/Adventure Film	Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows	Template:Nom
		Best Costume	Jenny Beavan	Template:Nom
	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie: Action	Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows	Template:Nom
		Choice Movie Actor: Action	Robert Downey Jr.	Template:Nom
		Choice Movie Actress: Action	Noomi Rapace	Template:Nom
	Visual Effects Society Awards	Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Feature Motion Picture	Laya Armian, Chas Jarrett, Seth Maury, Sirio Quintavalle	Template:Nom

Sequel

Warner Bros. revealed in 2011 that Drew Pearce was drafting the initial script for Sherlock Holmes 3, although he was later succeeded by Justin Haythe. In 2013, Jude Law mentioned that the screenplay was in progress but pending studio approval, highlighting challenges related to scheduling. By 2014, producer Susan Downey confirmed the project was moving forward with a storyline outline but no finalized script, stressing the importance of prioritizing quality over speed.

In 2015, producer Lionel Wigram affirmed that Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law were set to return to their iconic roles. That same year, Downey expressed intentions to start filming in 2016; however, James Coyne was brought on to revise the screenplay. Wigram anticipated production might commence in 2018, while Warner Bros. scheduled a December 2020 release date with Chris Brancato assigned as the screenwriter.

The premiere was postponed to December 2021, with Dexter Fletcher stepping in as director after Guy Ritchie's departure. The film secured a $20.9 million tax credit from California based on a $107.8 million budget. Fletcher attributed the indefinite delay partly to the COVID-19 pandemic and noted Downey's other professional commitments as factors.

As of 2023, Fletcher, Downey, and writer Joe Penhall have been actively collaborating on the script despite ongoing pandemic-related interruptions. Susan Downey and Amanda Burrell have reiterated that the film remains a key focus for Team Downey and Robert Downey Jr.

Franchise

By October 2020, Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey announced ambitions to transform the film series into an expanded franchise. Team Downey is currently developing additional feature films, spin-offs, and television programs for HBO Max within a connected shared universe. Although they do not intend to replicate the Marvel Cinematic Universe, their experience working with Marvel Studios has provided valuable guidance for constructing this world. Presently, two television series set within this universe are in development for HBO Max.