‘Sherlock’ and loaded

Sure Robert Downey Jr. might be an odd choice to the titular play supersleuth in Sherlock Holmes this Friday, but then Holmes, as written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is a pretty odd chap. Guy Ritchie, master of the modern British gangster genre, takes over the iconic character and breathes a lot of fun and excitement back into the character. By casting Downey and Holmes alongside Jude Law as trusty sidekick Dr. Watson and bringing the character back his rough-and-tumble roots, Ritchie seems to have hit on a franchise formula, and one that as rumor has it, could attract Brad Pitt to the sequels as Holmes’ archenemy Moriarity. But this time around, Holmes must not only uncover and put a stop to the dastardly plot of the dangerous Lord Blackwood, but also trade barbs with romantic rival Irene Adler, whom Doyle described in A Study in Scarlet as the only woman to best the good inspector Holmes. Rachel McAdams and Mark Strong co-star. Rated PG-13.