Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows(2011)

Plot Summary

• In 1891, Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.) is investigating a seemingly unrelated series of murders of prominent business tycoons around the world, believing them all connected to Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris), a criminal mastermind just as smart as Holmes. Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) is still working for Moriarty & Holmes follows her & stops an attempted assassination attempt when Homes successfully defuses a bomb that was intended to eliminate a doctor, whose services were no longer required by Moriarty. The doctor escapes but is found dead by Holmes, in the street, shortly thereafter. The doctor was considered at the forefront of medical innovation.After Moriarty arranges for another assassination, he poisons Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), as her feelings for Holmes have compromised her usefulness. Meanwhile, Holmes takes Dr. Watson (Jude Law) out with his brother Mycroft (Stephen Fry) for his stag party, and saves another intended victim of Moriarty's, a fortune telling gypsy named Sim (Noomi Rapace). Sim's name was on the letter that the doctor (killed by Moriarty) gave to Irene, which Holmes stole from Irene, before she was killed by Moriarty. The letter talks about Sim's brother Rene fulfilling some purpose. Holmes wants to know what Rene is doing for Moriarty.Mycroft, who is linked to the British Foreign office, tells Holmes that tensions are brewing between nations & have reached a boiling point between France & Germany as each accuses the other of killing their businessmen. Mycroft also tells of a peace summit in Switzerland to resolve all international issues between estranged nations.At Watson's wedding, Holmes is given a message from Moriarty that he wants a meeting. Holmes meets with Moriarty, who warns Holmes that if he persists in investigating him, Watson will become a target. Holmes asks Moriarty to leave Watson out as he is married and no longer part of his team, but Moriarty refuses. Holmes stows away on the train taking Watson and his new wife Mary (Kelly Reilly) to their honeymoon destination, knocking Mary off the train to the safe hands of Mycroft while he and Watson battle Moriarty's men.Holmes traces Sim to France. Holmes & Watson go to Paris & find Sim in a gypsy camp outside Paris where Holmes tells Sim that Moriarty targeted her due to her brother Rene's work with him, and she was a loose end. Sim tells Holmes that Rene was involved with a revolutionary group & takes Homles to meet their leader, Claude (Thierry Neuvic). Claude tells Holmes that Rene was sent on a mission for a rich British benefactor, who now directs every movement of the revolutionaries as he has kidnapped Claude's family. Holmes concludes that all the recent bombings were conducted by Moriarty via Claude. Claude has planted another bomb & kills himself to protect his family.In Paris, Holmes, Watson, and Sim go to the opera where they believe Moriarty will strike, but Holmes realizes too late that Moriarty has deceived him; a hotel is blown up instead and several businessmen are killed. As Holmes looks over the bodies, he notices that one of the men was actually shot in the head by a sniper seconds before the explosion. He concludes that the explosion was a cover-up for the shooting, carried out by sniper-for-hire Colonel Sebastian Moran (Paul Anderson). Only 6 men in Europe could have made that difficult shot & Colonel Moran was the only one in Britain at the time of the bombing. Holmes and Watson track the ownership of an arms factory, of the man who was the gunshot victim of Moriarty's assassin Moran, in Germany which has recently been bought out by Moriarty. Holmes and Watson investigate, but Holmes is captured by Moriarty.Moriarty reveals he owns shares in companies across Europe in cotton, guns and other goods, and plans to start a world war by simulating the escalating crisis in Europe that will create a large demand for them and make him a tidy profit. Watson rescues Holmes and the two escape the factory on a passing train. Holmes surmises Moriarty's next target is a peace summit, where he will create an incident between world leaders to spark war.Holmes contacts Mycroft to cancel the summit, but Mycroft says that for world leaders to withdraw from the peace summit at this late stage, under the current sensitive circumstances, is tantamount to war. Holmes asks Mycroft to arrest Moriarty, but Moriarty has positioned himself as a government consultant for the peace process, being one of the best minds in Britain & a personal friend of the Prime Minister. Holmes deducts that Moriarty will not detonate a bomb at the summit as that would simply unite them, he would use Rene to carry out an assassination of a specific leader at close range.At the summit with Mycroft, Holmes deduces that a set of twins that were earlier shown working for Moriarty are not actually twins and was an experiment to give a man the face of another. Realizing that Rene has been made to look like one of the country ambassadors and will act on Moriarty's behalf, Watson and Sim find out which guest he is while Holmes invites Moriarty to a game of chess on a balcony over a waterfall. Watson and Sim successfully stop Rene, but he is killed by Moran. This removes any evidence against Moriarty.Meanwhile, Holmes reveals to Moriarty that in Germany he stole an account book tracing all of Moriarty's assets, the only piece of evidence linking him to his deeds, and Mary has taken it back to London with a cipher discovered by Holmes, where Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan) is confiscating them.Holmes and Moriarty mentally plan a battle, and both realize Holmes will lose; with no other option, Holmes blows soot from his pipe in Moriarty's eyes, distracting him so Holmes can grab him and knock both of them off the balcony and into the waterfall seemingly to his death. Sometime later, Watson and Mary prepare to go on another honeymoon while Watson finishes writing of his last case with Holmes. A delivery of Mycroft's oxygen breathing device alerts Watson that Holmes survived, and he runs to question Mary about the delivery while Holmes reveals himself concealed in Watson's room, rushes to the typewriter and adds a "?" after the words "The End".

Storyline

• With Dr. John Watson about to marry and end their partnership, a disconsolate Sherlock Holmes occupies his time investigating the schemes of his archenemy, Professor James Moriarty. However, when Moriarty warns that he considers the Watsons a legitimate target for his retaliation against the detective, Holmes must save them and get John involved in one last case. To do so, they join the Roma lady Madam Simza Heron's quest to find her missing brother, Renee, who may be the key to defeating Moriarty. Together, the trio find themselves involved in a dangerous international conspiracy led by the Napoleon of Crime in which the fate of all of Europe hangs in the balance. — Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com) Sherlock Holmes is investigating terrorist attacks in London alone since his old partner Dr. John Watson will get married a few days later with Mary. His investigations point to Professor James Moriarty as the person responsible for the explosions. When Dr. Watson and Mary are attacked in the train while traveling for their honeymoon in Brighton, Holmes delivers Mary to the protection of his brother Mycroft. Soon Holmes and Dr. Watson disclose that Professor Moriarty has bought arms and ammunition factories and is trying to start a war in Europe killing political leaders and politicians. Now Sherlock and Watson have to stop Moriarty and his dangerous associate, the skilled former Colonel Sebastian Moran to avoid the imminent war. — Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Against the backdrop of global unrest, shortly after the nearly supernatural events in Sherlock Holmes (2009) , the keenly observant detective and artist of deduction, Sherlock Holmes, along with his loyal comrade-in-arms, Dr Watson, find themselves drawn deeper and deeper into a sinister international conspiracy. As war closes in on 1891 Europe, a faint trail of breadcrumbs leads Sherlock to the cryptic Romani fortune-teller, Madame Simza Heron, and an unexpected but diabolical adversary: the mathematical genius and long-time arch-nemesis, Professor James Moriarty. Now, before the criminal mastermind's elaborate web of murder, no one is safe; especially those close to Holmes and Watson. Can the intrepid duo prevent collateral damage? Is the world prepared for Moriarty's sinister game of shadows? — Nick Riganas Sherlock Holmes, a now established master artist of deduction, is to take on his biggest challenge yet; navigating mysteries without the companion of his best friend, Dr. Watson, for he is getting married and decides to retire. As Holmes traverses a new web of atrocious crimes across 1891 Europe, he eventually traces it all back to the evil mastermind James Moriarty. With everyone around them being in grave danger, Holmes and Watson join forces for one last mystery. Are they prepared for Moriarty's sinister game of shadows, or are they but puppets he will skillfully play on their strings? — Wikipendotia