Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

I went and saw Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. So, I thought I would put up my thoughts about the movie.

No worries though, there are no spoilers here.

Overall, I really enjoyed the movie. Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law play off of one another well. The first movie gives you a clear picture of their fun, but dysfunctional relationship. This movie deepens this relationship while spotlighting the strengths that each individual possesses. I think that the strength of the relationship between Holmes and Watson is the part that makes this movie work for me. It serves to provide an anchor for the free wheeling performance of Robert Downey Jr and allows Jude Law's more steady style to shine. It also provides an underlying thread to the plot. This makes the sometimes disparate elements cohesive.

My two favorite additions to the cast were Jared Harris and Stephen Fry. Stephen Fry plays the part of Mycroft, Sherlock's brother. His scenes in the movie are few, but each is funny and enlightening. His presence in the film further highlights the relationship between Homes and Watson. He illustrates what Sherlock could have become without his friend Watson. We are shown it would have been a good life, just as odd but not the same. I enjoy Jared Harris' performance for the same reason. He brings a more focused and malevolent feel to his scenes. He plays an excellent villain without truly overshadowing the hero. He too, plays the part of a lens for viewing Holmes. Here is someone with the same intelligence and steel as Holmes but lacking a moral compass. Moriarty and Moran's relationship is a dark mirror of the relationship of Holmes and Watson. The addition of these two actors, playing these two parts help make this movie as good as the first.

After watching the movie, It led me to think about table-top RPGs. Yes, I know, I'm weird. It illuminates the possibility of high-end play. I have an innate loathing for all things low-level. I don't want to work my way to the top in a game. Instead, I want to be one of the people at the top and dole out beatings liberally. From the chatter on the intertubes, I know that this is not the case for others. There are even arguments that most systems, 4E in particular, that can not deal with this type of play. I think this movie shows that this type of play is possible, even if the mechanics have trouble supporting it. Here we have opposing forces, at the top of their game. You see nations being used as pawns, while the true power is in the hands of a few individuals. The true tension arrives from the possibility of one of the parties making a mistake. You can do this in any system. I think that this style of play actually works best in the narrative style game more easily. There, when you run, you listen to your players and let them lead you through the story. More traditional games encourage a more controlling running style, which makes it much more difficult to do high powered games. I know that I plan to use some ideas that I have seen in this movie in my next Scion game.