Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

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Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

PG-13

2011

2h 9m

Action

Adventure

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

60%

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224 Reviews

77%

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100,000+ Ratings

When Austria's crown prince is found dead, evidence seems to point to suicide. However, detective Sherlock Holmes deduces that the prince was murdered and that the crime is but a piece of a puzzle designed by an evil genius named Moriarty. Holmes and his friend Dr. Watson, who are accompanied by a Gypsy whose life Holmes saved, chase Moriarty across Europe in the hope that they can thwart his plot before it can come to fruition.

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Critics Consensus

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is a good yarn thanks to its well-matched leading men but overall stumbles duplicating the well-oiled thrills of the original.

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

01/27/2012

2/4

Unlike the 2009 hit that preceded this one there's very little mystery to be found here, not much in the way of puzzles in need of being solved.

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Bruce Diones

The New Yorker

01/16/2012

It's complete trash and makes a mockery of Holmes's vaunted deductive reasoning.

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Adam Graham

Detroit News

12/16/2011

B-

Downey's career is something of a game of shadows, but it's one still worth playing, for now.

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Clint Leavitt

Loud and Clear Reviews

03/24/2025

3.5/5

If one can set aside some of the deviations of these modern twists on the classic characters and simply pick up a bowl of popcorn instead, they’ll be pleased with the game that is afoot.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

03/06/2023

3/4

When it’s all over, audiences may find the experience superficial and in no way reminiscent of Doyle’s stories, but for just over two hours, we’ve been happily diverted.

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

08/25/2022

2/5

Unfortunately the uniqueness, humor, and charm of the first film are all but missing in the sequel.

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Seola T

@RT01451483 Jan 28

I enjoyed this, but it doesn't measure up to the first one.

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Alex B

@AlexB33 Jan 18

A compelling clever action film take on Holmes that is underrated. Robert does a great job of being a charismatic idiosyncratic eccentric Holmes. Very witty funny film that is magnificent for a Sunday Afternoon watch! 👏👌🏻

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Pepe L

@pjaguilar Jan 10

Underwhelming is the word you are looking.

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Jordan P

@Jordanpiantedosi Oct 29

Maybe even better than the 1st one! The scene where Sherlock says seeing everything is his curse meant alot to me personally, especially when this movie came out.

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Scott P

@RT48490784 Sep 24

While not traditional Holmes this is a really fun and exceptionally well made film. Jared Harris IS MORIARTY.

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ofek T

@RT33181197 Jul 18

Very few times does a sequel surpass its predecessor!

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Guy Ritchie

Director

Robert Downey Jr.

Sherlock Holmes

Jude Law

Dr. John Watson

Noomi Rapace

Madam Simza Heron

Rachel McAdams

Irene Adler

Jared Harris

Professor James Moriarty

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Synopsis

When Austria's crown prince is found dead, evidence seems to point to suicide. However, detective Sherlock Holmes deduces that the prince was murdered and that the crime is but a piece of a puzzle designed by an evil genius named Moriarty. Holmes and his friend Dr. Watson, who are accompanied by a Gypsy whose life Holmes saved, chase Moriarty across Europe in the hope that they can thwart his plot before it can come to fruition.

Director: Guy Ritchie
Producer: Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey, Dan Lin
Screenwriter: Michele Mulroney, Kieran Mulroney, Anthony Peckham
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Silver Pictures, Wigram Productions, Village Roadshow Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Intense Sequences of Violence|Intense Sequences of Action|Some Drug Material)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Canadian French
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 16, 2011, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 11, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $186.8M
Runtime: 2h 9m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital