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The Hound of the Baskervilles
UK 2002
produced by Christopher Hall, Greg Brenman (executive), Steve Christian (executive), Rebecca Eaton (executive), Marigo Kehoe (executive), Gareth Neame (executive), Julie Scott (executive), Sally Woodward Gentle (executive) for Tiger Aspect, BBC
directed by David Attwood
starring Richard Roxburgh, Ian Hart, Richard E. Grant, Matt Day, John Nettles, Geraldine James, Neve McIntosh, Ron Cook, Liza Tarbuck, Paul Kynman, Danny Webb, Richard Hawley, Jim Norton, David McNeill, Casper Zafer, Stephan Bessant, Malcolm Shields, Tom Freeman, Sean Boru, Peter Roberts
screenplay by Allan Cubitt, based on the novel by Arthur Conan Doyle, music by Robert Lane, special effects by Framestore
Sherlock Holmes, Hound of the Baskervilles
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Sherlock Holmes (Richard Roxburgh) is hired to play bodyguard to Sir
Henry Baskerville (Matt Day), whose uncle (Peter Roberts) - whose vast
fortune Henry will inherit - has just died under mysterious circumstances,
obviously scared to death by a hound from an old family legend. Holmes
immediately shows interest into the case, but then sends his companion Dr
Watson (Ian Hart) to Baskerville Manor in Dartmoor to fulfill the
assignment - fact is, Holmes has to do some investigations in London
concerning the case, then he hides out in the moor for a couple of days,
without telling Watson of course. Eventually, Holmes makes his presence
in Dartmoor known to Watson and the others, and he is quick to disclose
his prime suspect to Watson: Baskerville's neighbour Stapleton (Richard
E.Grant), who even uses his own wife (Neve McIntosh) as bait to lure Henry
into a trap. Only regarding a motive, Holmes is at a loss ... until he
finds a portrait of one of Henry's ancestors which shows the splitting
image of Stapleton - meaning he has to be a Baskerville from a long
forgotten family branch after the inheritance, and now he's after Henry. Having
found out all that, Holmes and Watson send Henry over to Stapleton for
dinner and pretend to board the train to return to London - which they
don't really do though, actually they hide out in the moor with their
friend inspector Lestrade (Danny Webb) to put up a trap for Stapleton and
catch him red-handed. This of course almost fails due to poor preparation,
and Henry is almost torn to pieces by a hound - a non-mythological actual
dog trained by Stapleton - before it can be shot. While Holmes and
Lestrade question Stapleton, Watson looks for his wife - and finds her
hanged, killed by her husband because she has gotten too friendly with Sir
Henry. Enraged, he wants to shoot Stapleton, but instead helps him escape. Going
after Stapleton, Holmes falls into the moor, and Stapleton actually
figures it would be a mercy-killing if he shot him ... but then he's shot
by Watson instead, who then saves his friend's life. The good
news first: This film looks very slick, is very swiftly directed, and the
sets and costumes do its story justice. Also, attempts are made to dust
off the often-filmed novel. This is where the good news end though, and
the bad news far outbalance the good: The film totally lacks atmosphere,
the story is derived of some of its best moments (and most of its
suspects), Holmes pulls his culprit out of the hat at a seemingly
deliberate point in the plot, without the least bit of buildup, before the
finale (which is pretty ok by the way) there is virtually no tension and
suspense throughout the film. Another really weak point of the movie is
its characters: They seem to have been uniformly robbed of any and all
personality, seem interchangeable to a certain extent, and while the
acting in the film can be described as solid, Richard Roxburgh is very
pale as Sherlock Holmes who's supposed to be an eccentric know-it-all, and
Ian Hart as Watson is totally miscast. At least Richard E.Grant as the
baddie of the piece turns in a good performance, but then he would,
wouldn't he? In all, this is maybe just one too many adaptation of The
Hound of the Baskervilles, a pretty forgettable film no matter which
way you look at it.
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