Chaplin
dir. Richard Attenborough (1992)
A lengthy biopic that musters unexpected pathos in portraying the rise and fall, the brilliance and obsession, the unhappy wretchedness (some dictated by circumstances, some self-inflicted) of the man behind the tramp mask. Downey Jr. is exceptional even amongst a stellar cast.
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
dir. Guy Ritchie (2011)
Robert Downey Jr’s Holmes hides his genius behind a facade of extemporised buffoonery. Jude Law’s Watson is less idolising, more exasperated, than in the original stories. Their dynamic nevertheless works, carrying the more stylised mayhem as Ritchie’s treatment walks its fine line.
Sherlock Holmes
dir. Guy Ritchie (2009)
Ritchie’s interpretation of Sherlock Holmes works on several levels—as a dark and detailed period piece, as character comedy, and as a buddy film. Jude Law (Watson) and Robert Downey Jr (Holmes) have an edgy dynamic. Rachel McAdams scintillates as Irene Adler.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
dir. Shane Black (2005)
One could argue that the voiceovers are unnecessarily facetious, yet Kiss Kiss Bang Bang remains a droll, at times very funny, noir crime run-around. Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer are at their peak, contrasting beautifully while ably supported by Michelle Monaghan.