An Underrated Robert Downey Jr. Movie Is Crushing It On Netflix
Robert Dowey Jr. is one of the most celebrated actors working, and one of his best and most underrated films is crushing the charts on Netflix.
Robert Downey Jr. is currently celebrating his 57th birthday in a big way. One of the actor’s best roles is that of portraying Sherlock Holmes. While Downey was coming off his massive role as Tony Stark in Iron Man in 2008, he would follow that up with another massive hit of Sherlock Holmes in 2009. The film was so successful that it warranted a sequel called Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, which was released in 2011. The sequel film is currently in the top 10 on Netflix, and for good reason. This underrated sequel is just as fun as the original film was.
Robert Downey Jr. paired with Jude Law, who played the important role of Holmes’s right-hand man, Watson. However, this Watson is more of a sarcastic and smart individual that calls Holmes out on his many issues and mess-ups. Quite honestly, they worked so well with one another that it was almost certain that a sequel was needed. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows was not as critically successful as its predecessor, but it still managed to bring in over $545 million in worldwide box office numbers. The original film brought in $524 million. Clearly, the audiences loved the original film and were wanting to see Downey take on the role of Holmes again. Sherlock Holmes holds a 69% critic rating with a 77% audience rating. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows has a 59% critic rating with an identical 77% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It stands to reason that the money both films made, and their ratings mean that people were all-in on the Downey-led adventure.
While Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law reprised their roles for the sequel, Rachel McAdams was only brought in for a cameo appearance. The newer sort of femme fatale role is that of the gypsy woman named Madam Simza Heron who is portrayed by Nooma Rapace. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows follows Holmes and Watson as they attempt to uncover the plot of an evil genius named Professor Moriarty. Moriarty is portrayed by James Harris. Moriarty uses his influence to murder the crown prince of Austria, which would then result in a massive conflict in Europe. The death is ruled as suicide before Holmes begins to investigate the matter. He discovers Moriarty’s role in this dastardly plan and sets off across Europe to stop the plans of the evil genius Moriarty. While the sequel contained many elements from the first film, it stands on its own as another welcomed adventure for both Holmes and Watson.
Sherlock Holmes has been a long-standing character that was created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He first created the character in 1887 and released four novels and 56 short stories that revolved around the adventures of Holmes and Watson. While Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows was an original premise, for the most part, the plot also borrowed elements from the short stories The Final Problem, which came out in 1893, and The Adventure of the Empty House, which came out in 1903. Sherlock Holmes is an important figure in crime dramas, and that was especially true with how Robert Downey Jr. tackled the character. Some of the best moments in the films are when time slows down and we get to see Holmes critically think about a situation before he attacks. This video contains spoilers for the film, but you can see the instance of his fighting techniques below:
Slowing down time in scenes has certainly been a mainstay for a lot of action films, but Sherlock Holmes processed this happening much differently. We get a full breakdown by Robert Downey Jr. narrating the scene as Holmes. The moves are broken down to a degree that is truly exciting to watch.
While it has been some time since Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows was released, it has been announced that the threequel is currently in development. Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law will be returning to reprise their roles yet again. While we all patiently wait for the next globe-trotting adventure, everyone can go see why the sequel is a top 10 feature on Netflix. Simply put, Downey is an amazing actor and most of what he has been in usually does well. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is currently streaming on Netflix.
