This post is inspired by my Avatar = FernGully = Pocahontas analysis. Although Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes doesn’t actually look like a CSI Miami spin-off, I could not help but compare certain elements of the movie to my favorite CBS series.
After I saw the must-see detective flick, the first thing that came into my mind was, “Holy smokes! CSI is wasting their money on those fancy computers and gadgets. All you need is someone as brilliant as Holmes and Watson!”
Imagine England in the late 1800s. They didn’t have electricity, the internet, thumb mark analysis, face detection databases, DNA scanners, and all the fancy equipment that CSI’s Calleigh Duquesne (played by Emily Procter) and Eric Delko (played by Adam Rodriguez) use to track down the killers. All the police needed was the uncanny observational skills, addicting wit, and intellectual prowess of Sherlock Holmes (played by Robert Downey, Jr.) and his trusty sidekick Dr. John Watson (played by Jude Law).
Why, the duo could determine what the crime scene’s mysterious powder residue is just by sniffing it! They even could figure out the modus operandi of the fleeting suspect just by looking around for clues—no rubber gloves and evidence bags necessary! In CSI, it takes hours to days of processing evidence before releasing official results, while Sherlock needs only one eureka moment to solve mysteries. Amazing!
There are a few similarities. Both the CSI and Sherlock Holmes are able to consistently draw big conclusions from miniscule clues at the scene. Sherlock’s character is unfailing and omnipotent, just like Miami’s hero Horatio Caine (played by David Caruso). You just know you can count on him to catch the bad guy. And while Horatio manages to keep his suit squeaky clean as he theatrically puts on his trademark aviator sunglasses, Sherlock loves to get down and dirty, after which he lights his signature pipe.
Ryan Wolfe (played by Jonathan Togo) and the rest of the CSI team make fitting sidekicks, each with his/her own distinct sleuthing style. It’s too bad I don’t see a direct Watson resemblance in them.
While Sherlock Holmes is a completely fictional story originally written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, you cannot help but wish that this eccentric character exists in today’s era of modern technology to put real-life CSI employees to shame.
I’d love to dabble into Sherlock Holmes more, but I’d hate to be the movie spoiler. Just watch it and let me know what you think. A word of advice before getting into the cinema: make sure you pay attention to the fast-paced arguments or you’ll miss the microscopic but important details. It’s elementary, my dear.
