text: %% Leave image on right. Also this image was chosen in the Image Pickin' forum by consensus.%% Stop by there before changing it.[[quoteright:265:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/SherlockHolmesTeaserPoster265.jpg]][[caption-width-right:260: [[{{Pun}} Holmes for the Holidays]]]]%% Leave image on right. Also this image was chosen in the Image Pickin' forum by consensus.%% Stop by there before changing it.A 2009 film directed by Creator/GuyRitchie, and starring Creator/RobertDowneyJr, Creator/JudeLaw, Creator/RachelMcAdams, and Creator/MarkStrong, that updates (or maybe restores) Holmes and Watson as [[BadassBookworm thinking men of action]]. A sequel, ''A Game of Shadows'', was released in December of 2011. Both films are known for their humor and for using modern-day action film techniques.When Holmes (Downey) and Watson (Law) interrupt a dark occult ritual and save a woman from being sacrificed, they find that the culprit is Lord Henry Blackwood (Strong). He's already killed five women in a similar manner and, before he is hanged, he claims to Holmes that he will kill three more times after his death.Soon, Blackwood's tomb is found destroyed and his body is missing, sparking rumors that he has [[BackFromTheDead risen from the dead]]. Holmes has other problems, as well: Watson is getting married and is moving out, making the Blackwood case their last case together, and [[ClassyCatBurglar Irene Adler]] has shown up to hire Holmes for her mysterious employer.A sequel in 2011 subtitled ''A Game of Shadows'' introduces Professor James Moriarty, a mathematician, former boxer and criminal mastermind behind a web of mysterious deaths and terrorist attacks across Europe. Holmes sets out to find out what he's up to but discovers Moriarty's mind is a match for his own, and a battle of wits across the continent begins as the two try to outsmart each other.----!!This franchise provides examples of the following tropes:[[index]][[foldercontrol]][[folder:Both films]]* ActionGirl:** Irene Adler.** Sim.** Technically Mary as well, if only for brief moment of awesome.-->''*While holding a gun on an assassin*'' I think it's time for you to leave (the train).%%%%%% Don't put Adaptation Decay here. At all. It's for fictitious examples only.%%%* AdaptationalBadass: Irene Adler. In the books, she was nothing more than an unusually clever opera singer who happened to get her hands on a compromising photograph, and was smart enough to prevent Holmes from stealing it back. Here's, she's a full-on professional thief and a FemmeFatale who's able to best Holmes in a fight.* AdrenalineTime: An interesting version, as Holmes imagines at least some fights before starting, pointing out the weaknesses he'll exploit, and then we get to see the fight again in real time. This is applied interestingly later in the film; in every fight where Holmes gets his ass kicked, the AdrenalineTime sequence is absent, implying he lost because he forgot to think -- or didn't have time to; formulating a rational plan is one thing when you're lurking around a corner hiding from a drunkard lookout, but more problematic when a giant Frenchman is bearing down on your arse. Essentially, it's his eponymous SherlockScan, weaponized.** Also used in ''Game of Shadows'' forest chase.* AluminumChristmasTrees:** Holmes' sunglasses are of the period, though they would have been considered medical devices rather than fashion accessories.** Watson's use of the word "masochist": the film is set in 1891 and the word was first recorded in 1890.* AmbiguousDisorder: Jr.'s portrayal is more socially challenged than our usual Holmes, had some weird eye contact moments, and was implied to have issues with sensory integration. Guy Ritchie explains in the Blu Ray special features that part of Holmes' social short-comings is that he can't filter out the many clues he picks up in social situations, for example his disastrous dinner in the Royale. In the second film he mentions that seeing "everything" is his [[CursedWithAwesome curse]], as a scene similar to that at the Royale is repeated at the [[spoiler: peace conference.]]* AnachronismStew: So much it needed [[AnachronismStew/SherlockHolmes its own page]].* AttackItsWeakPoint:** In the first film, Holmes observes that one of the mooks is partially deaf, a heavy drinker, and has a slight limp, and proceeds to bring him down with four attacks; one each to the ear, liver, and knee, plus one to the vocal chords to stop him screaming.** In the second, Moriarty's strategy for beating Holmes in a fistfight is to repeatedly target [[spoiler:Holmes' injured shoulder]].* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: The scene in the restaurant, Holmes' forgetfulness (even though that's [[LeftYourLifesaverBehind often a ploy to get Watson to follow after him]]), and the way he seems more hyper than other incarnations, though not all. Downey's Holmes is just as frenetic as the Jeremy Brett incarnation, who would often crawl across the floor or fling papers in the air.* AwesomenessByAnalysis: Whenever he has the time Holmes will use his famous intellect to analyze his opponents, predict their actions, and plan out, move for move, the ensuing fight. In ''Game of Shadows'', [[spoiler: Holmes and Moriarty play out part of a chess match and then an entire fistfight in their minds. They both realize Holmes will inevitably lose the latter because of the injury Holmes received on his right arm from torture prior to the train yard shootout in Heilbronn. Holmes realizes that his demise is inevitable, unless he takes a second option: [[TakingYouWithMe drag Moriarty down Reichenbach Falls with him instead.]]]]* BadassBookworm: This side of Holmes being brought up is a big part of this particular adaptation. Watson looks more this part than GeniusBruiser, too.** Watson and Moriarty also count as very well-read gentlemen who know how to handle themselves in a fight.* BadassLongcoat: Holmes, Watson and Blackwood got one.* BashBrothers: Holmes and Watson basically all the time.* BatDeduction: Averted. Sherlock's deductions are plausible and the clues to them are shown to the audience, it's just that you don't put it all together until he explains how he did so himself.* BatmanGambit: This is how Holmes' AwesomenessByAnalysis fighting style plays out. Holmes can't account for every possibility, so he puts himself into positions where the most probable action by his opponent best suits moves where Holmes can win. The audience has the benefit of being treated to Holmes' foresight, while his opponents do not, and generally do none of the unpredictable things that could ruin his plan. We are treated to him analyzing how to carry out the fight, which is seen with the moves being played in slo-mo, then we see them again in real time.** It's also demonstrated to have a severe limitation; that [[StopHelpingMe no allies interfere in the fight]]. Notably, in Game of Shadows, Holmes plans out a CurbStompBattle for an assassin he finds in the rafters, only for the not-so-DamselInDistress to try and shank the guy with throwing knives. His plan thus foiled, he is forced to grab the girl and run. * BeautyIsNeverTarnished: In the first, Irene gets dirty and a little bloody but her face remains unblemished, even after the explosion at the slaughterhouse almost kills Watson. In the second, Sim at least gets a bloody nose in her fight with the Cossack and again during the pursuit in the woods by German soldiers. Both of them are surprisingly clean for the Victorian-era.* BerserkButton: ** Harming Irene in any way is usually this for Holmes. Remember that he let Blackwood fall to his death and was willing to sacrifice his own life to kill Moriarty.** Similarly, harming Mary in any way is Watson's BerserkButton. Twice in the second film: first, he's throttling Holmes after Holmes throws Mary off the train to save her from Moriarty's attack (although Holmes insists he timed it perfectly, and indeed, we see that he did) he mutely takes it when the gypsies loot his garb until one of them takes his scarf (Mary's gift). Then he punches out the perp.** Threatening either Watson or Mary is also this to Holmes.** On the evil side of things, Colonel Sebastian Moran's button is definitely when someone puts Moriarty in harm's way. When [[spoiler:Watson drops a tower on him, the normally cool as ice Moran becomes pretty feral, threatening the German unit commander and his troops with death if Holmes, Watson and the gypsies get away. He also becomes a {{Determinator}}, charging into a hail of bullets to ensure their capture and even after being shot in the side by Watson, still trying to (and succeeding in) thin Holmes' herd by firing off a shot that picks off one of the unlucky gypsies.]]* BlatantLies: Plenty of these by Holmes; they usually count as a CrowningMomentOfFunny as well.* BulletTime: In both films, notably the pier explosion in the first and the forest foot chase in ''Game of Shadows'', in which the sequence continuously moves in and out of it. In this case, bullet time allows us to see one of Moran's bullets grazing Watson's side, and also to emphasize just how fast a round fired out of Little Hansel travels.* BunnyEarsLawyer: Holmes, as per usual.* ButtMonkey: Poor, poor Gladstone.-->"Holmes, how many times must you ''kill'' my dog."* CharacterExaggeration: Irene Adler, in the Doyle canon, was just an opera singer who was known for her cleverness, and she went down as an EnsembleDarkhorse for outsmarting Holmes by stopping him from stealing back a compromising photo that she'd gotten her hands on through pure happenstance. In this movie, she's made into a full-on FemmeFatale[=/=]ActionGirl and a professional thief.* ClockPunk / SteamPunk: Both Blackwood and Moriarty employ such devices, Blackwood building [[spoiler:a cyanide gas spewing machine]] and Moriarty building [[spoiler:time bombs]].* TheCoatsAreOff: Watson removes his overcoat (keeps his suit jacket on) before every fight.* CombatMedic: Watson* CombatPragmatist:** Watson. Holmes has some of this as well, being a master of calculated combat. When he uses the SherlockScan combo on his targets, it takes into account every reaction that the target would use; and shuts them down accordingly. The pragmatism in it is that it never lets the opponent get a hit in.** When Holmes is getting his butt kicked by the Chinaman, he doesn't hesitate to call on Irene to just shoot him.** Simza interrupts Holmes' usual calculated combat style by just throwing a knife into the guy.** In ''A Game Of Shadows'', Moran is in a lighthouse with a rifle, training the light down on [[spoiler:Watson's only avenue of approach, keeping him pinned down. Then Watson realizes he's taken cover behind a [[{{BFG}} naval cannon]],]] which causes one of the best reactions from Moran.--->'''Moran:''' That's not fair!** Shortly after that, our heroes are trading gunfire with Moriarty's men while [[spoiler:racing away from them through the forest. The bad guys decide turnabout is fair play, and the commander decides to deploy "Little Hansel". It's not clear what kind of gun it is, but individual shots fired out of it are powerful enough to rip apart trees.]]** Holmes and Moriarty both make liberal use of this trope during their final confrontation in ''A Game of Shadows''; Moriarty by repeatedly attacking [[spoiler: Holmes' wounded shoulder]], and Holmes by [[spoiler: blowing sparks in Moriarty's face so that he can TakeAThirdOption]].* CoolShades: Holmes wears a few pairs. These existed in Victorian times, but they were rare and considered to be devices for physical infirmity rather than stylish accessories.* CrazyJealousGuy: Holmes is ''not'' happy that Mary is diverting Watson's attentions from their partnership.* CrazyPrepared: Anytime Holmes looks like he's in trouble he's already planned a way out of it.* CreativeClosingCredits: ** Images from the film are rendered as Victorian era-esque pencil illustrations. Much like the kind you might find in the occasional novel, including the [[Literature/SherlockHolmes original stories]] (illustrated by Sidney Paget).** ''A Game of Shadows'' also has the actual text from "The Final Problem" (the story that the film is loosely based on) appearing around the illustrations and credits themselves.* DarkerAndEdgier than your classic Holmes adaptations.* DatingCatwoman: Holmes and Irene* DeadpanSnarker: Holmes and Watson often seem to be taking part in a [[SnarkToSnarkCombat sarcasm competition]].-->'''Holmes:''' What of the coffin?\\'''Lestrade:''' We are in the process of bringing it up now.\\'''Holmes:''' I see... ''[looks at the constables, all of whom are firmly rooted to the ground]'' Hmm... Right. At what stage of the process? Contemplative?** Later,-->'''Watson:''' ''[when Irene opens fire on Blackwood's henchmen]'' [[spoiler: She loves an entrance, your muse]].* DisneyVillainDeath: [[spoiler:Lord Blackwood seems set to fall victim to this with a rope and wooden planks dragging him off the bridge, but Holmes saves him. A part of the bridge's steelwork then collapses and Blackwood falls into a noose of chains.]]** [[spoiler:Played straight with Moriarty in the sequel, as per the original confrontation.]]* TheDungAges: Both films are far less idealized than previous screen adaptations, and show plainly (as in the Holmes boxing scene) the dirt and filth of poorer quarters and people of European cities. Holmes even makes a few quick references to it, when he says Lord Coward got his clothes dirty and stinky with shit in the sewers.* FemmeFatale: Irene Adler.* {{Flynning}}: Averted. Holmes actually uses a form very similar to Bartitsu, but with Wing Chun boxing, Brazilian Jiu Jutsu and swordfighting introduced (the choreographer even called it "neo-Bartitsu"). The fighting in the sequel even more closely resembles historical Bartitsu.%%* FridgeBrilliance examples are listed at Fridge/{{Film}}.%%* FridgeLogic examples are listed at {{JustBugsMe/SherlockHolmes}}.* FriendVersusLover: Holmes and Mary.* TheGamblingAddict: Watson. Downplayed somewhat in that it never directly affects the plot.* GentlemanAdventurer: Holmes and Watson.* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Even for a PG-13 rated movie, cocaine is never mentioned in the 2009 movie. However, at one point Watson looks at some bottles, picks one up and says disgustedly, "You do know what you're drinking is meant for eye surgery." Cocaine was used for anaesthetic in eye surgeries in the late 1800s. In the second movie Mrs. Hudson says that Holmes has been living on cigarettes, coffee and coca leaves. Cocaine is made from coca leaves. (Meanwhile, Holmes is shown drinking formaldehyde as Watson repeats his earlier comment, only this time reminding Holmes he's drinking embalming fluid.)** Though the effect of consuming coca leaves and cocaine are completely different. Coca leaves work like energy drinks and in this case makes more sense, considering Holmes energetic behaviour.* GoSeduceMyArchNemesis: Again, Irene Adler (see FemmeFatale above). Hired by Professor Moriarty to, among other things, seduce Holmes. Subverted, as it's implied that Adler and Holmes were already involved in some fashion, and Moriarty just used Adler's pre-existing relationship with Holmes to further his own goals. He also makes it clear at one point that it's more a case of GoSeduceMyArchNemesis (Who You're Already Kind Of In Love With, Or I'll Kill Him If You Don't).* GuileHero: Holmes, of course.* HandicappedBadass: Watson is a very proficient and agile fighter with a war wound that gives him a limp. The limp seems to conveniently vanish in every action scene, however. (Not necessarily a error; people with limps are often able to run without the limp being apparent, depending on the nature of their leg injury/disability. Also, given the tongue-in-cheek nature of the films this may indicate Watson's limp is psychosomatic, or maybe even [[ObfuscatingDisability exaggerated]].) Plus even if it hurts to walk or run normally, that probably goes out the window when you're in a fight for your life.* HeroInsurance: Played with; Holmes and Watson commit a few minor crimes (such as breaking and entering and withholding evidence) without receiving any punishment. However, after their investigation leads to the demolition of a shipyard and the earlier-than-scheduled launching (and not entirely unexpected sinking) of the ship under construction, Holmes and Watson spend the night in the pokey. This is apparently all the punishment they face. Then again, it's explicitly stated that powerful persons intervened to get Holmes out for the shipyard incident [[spoiler: and considering that the end result of this investigation is the prevention of a gas attack on Parliament which would have killed most of the [=MPs=] and the government and a thwarted coup, it's little wonder that strings might be pulled to get him out of trouble.]]** The sequel later confirms that, as in the original stories, [[spoiler:Holmes' brother Mycroft is "indispensible" to the British government, which would undoubtedly smooth such things over a bit]].* HeterosexualLifePartners: Holmes and Watson.* HyperAwareness: Holmes sees, hears and even smells ''everything'' around him...** CursedWithAwesome: And it's implied he can't stop. ''Ever'', even when it otherwise drives him semi-insane. No wonder the man spends weeks at a time alone in his bedroom. -->'''Sim:''' What do you see?-->'''Holmes:''' Everything. That is my curse.** SensoryOverload* HypocriticalHumor: ** "What was that about saving your bullets?" from the first film.** The second has Holmes chastising Watson for being rude to Simza, before Watson reminds him that he threw Mary from a speeding train.** Also from the second film, Holmes advises Watson "Whatever you do, don't let these gypsies make you drink," then takes a large swig from the bottle Simza just offered him.** Watson realises Holmes has forgotten (deliberately or otherwise) to organise his stag party so he can investigate a lead on Moriarty instead, and thus Watson stuck celebrating his impending marriage with Sherlock and Mycroft instead of the lads from the Rugby Club. After expressing his disapproval and storming off, [[InsufferableGenius Mycroft]] says, "He's all me, me me!"* IDrankWhat: Holmes drinks a bottle of a chemical intended for use in surgery in the first film (implicitly, tincture of cocaine) and is chastised by Watson. A similar exchange occurs in the second when Holmes pours himself a drink from a bottle of ''formaldehyde''.** Oh, he knows very well what he is doing. See GettingCrapPastTheRadar above.* IKnowKarate: Holmes' proficiency in martial arts; specifically, the British modification of Japan's Jujitsu known as "baritsu"[[note]]In real life named "Bartitsu", but "Baritsu" was what Conan Doyle wrote Holmes having.[[/note]], taught by one Lord Barry. However, its application onscreen is liberally mixed with Wing-Chun Kung-Fu (Robert Downey, Jr.'s primary style of martial arts) and a generous helping of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (director Guy Ritchie is a BJJ Brown Belt). Ironically, when Holmes fights a Chinese mook who also knows kung fu, he doesn't fare so well, apparently being used to opponents who use GoodOldFisticuffs.* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: There is an outstanding amount of "no one was hit" in both films, from both the good guys and bad. Which is [[RealityIsUnrealistic exactly the way it usually is]] [[TruthInTelevision in a real firefight]], especially with the era's relatively inaccurate guns. While there are more deaths in the second film, most of them are RedShirts, and/or are at the hands of Sebastian Moran, the ColdSniper [[TheDragon Dragon]].* ImprovisedWeaponUser: Watson's weapon of choice appears to be his coat combined with whatever he can get his hands on. And he manages quite well at it too.* InspectorLestrade: The actual Inspector Lestrade, too.* InsufferableGenius: ''Holmes''.* KickingAssInAllHerFinery: Irene Adler. Could also be said of Simza in the second film, especially after she starts wearing Watson's bowler hat.* KinkMeme: Inspired one that went to 8000 comments in less than ten days.* {{Leitmotif}}: Holmes' signature sound is the plucking of violin strings. It shows up whenever he is doing some heavy deduction.* LiteraryAgentHypothesis:** Not invoked by the film itself, unless you count Mary's comment that Watson's journals would make interesting reading, but the film's divergences from the Canon can be handily explained by applying the standard theory that Watson's published accounts were somewhat fictionalized (with the film, by this hypothesis, showing the actual reality). Considering what happened to Blackwood's [[spoiler: poison gas device (confiscated by the military)]], it's possible that Holmes and Watson were sworn to secrecy for reasons of national security. Hence, Watson ''couldn't'' publish this one. This would explain why he ends up sneaking bits of dialogue into other stories (see [[MythologyGag/SherlockHolmes Mythology Gag]]).** The second film opens and closes with him writing "The Final Problem", the actual short story that ''A Game of Shadows'' is loosely based on.* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Watson to Holmes.* LogicalWeakness: : the title character is a significantly less capable combatant without time to think about his moves and/or SherlockScan his opponent.* LogoJoke: ** In the first film, the Warner Bros. shield, Village Roadshow W, and Silver Pictures square appear as metal-worked sewer covers on a cobblestone street; the camera pulls back to reveal the street as part of the movie's opening chase. ** In ''A Game of Shadows'', the Warner Bros, Village Roadshow, and Silver Pictures logos, plus the opening title, appear in the pages of Dr. Watson's manuscript. * MetaCasting: Just like Tony Stark in ''Film/IronMan'', Robert Downey Jr., a guy known for being a brilliant but (at least in his younger years) troubled addict plays... a brilliant but troubled addict.* TheMuse: Watson claims Irene is this for Holmes.-->'''Watson:''' [after Irene breaks cover, guns blasting] She loves an entrance, your muse.* MythologyGag: So many to the original canon and other versions that they were [[MythologyGag/SherlockHolmes given their own page]].* PassingTheTorch: It's subtle, but throughout both movies Holmes is often training Watson in his methods, like a school teacher with a student--note how many times Holmes lets Watson take first crack at a deduction, and in the climax of ''Game of Shadows'', even leaves the final question up to Watson while he's out of the room. Likely, [[spoiler:Holmes wasn't entirely confident of surviving Moriarty, and wanted to make sure someone could work in his stead]].* PermaStubble: The first time Sherlock Holmes has ever been depicted with it. You'll notice Holmes is somewhat more cleaned up after someone tells him to clean up. During the dinner with Watson and Mary, he is nearly clean-shaven... but not quite. In fact, his PermaStubble may be constantly on his face, but it is done realistically.* PrivateDetective: But of course.* PromotedToLoveInterest: Irene Adler... in the tradition of every single Holmes adaptation ''ever''.* PublicDomainCharacter* RoomFullOfCrazy: Blackwood covers the inside of his cell with mystical runes and imagery. Holmes is less-than-impressed.-->'''Holmes''': [[DeadpanSnarker I love what you've done with the place.]]** Holmes gets such a room for himself in both films.* RunningGag:** Holmes insulting Lestrade. [[spoiler:After it's revealed Lestrade is part of the conspiracy, he punches Holmes. "I've wanted to do that for years." [[DoubleAgent However, since he was actually working with Holmes...]]]]---> "You know Holmes, in another life you'd make an excellent criminal."---> "Yes, and you an excellent policeman."** Related to this; Holmes will frequently ask to borrow something from Lestrade (such as a pen or a handkerchief), use it to do something rather unpleasant (such as poking at a corpse or messily blowing his nose) and blithely hand it back, much to Lestrade's disgust.** Holmes twice attempts to stealthily break into somewhere, only for someone to abruptly interrupt him by opening (or kicking down) the door.** Holmes drugging the dog.** One that spans over two movies "Get that thing out of my face." "It's not in your face, it's in my hand." "Get what's in ''your hand'' out of ''my face.''"* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: Constable Clarky and [[spoiler: Lestrade]] trust Holmes more than their chief officers.* SequelHook:** The first film has Adler revealing she was working for Moriarity.** The second film has Holmes typing a suspicious question mark after Watson's "THE END".* SherlockScan: Holmes himself is in top form, of course, though one of his scans does get him in trouble with Mary towards the start of the movie. In the first film he makes a mockery of a BlindfoldedTrip by completely ruining the Masons' attempt to disguise their identity and present location. Watson shows how much he's learned as Holmes's partner by pulling off several himself. Holmes even manages to ''weaponize'' his scans: in his first AwesomenessByAnalysis scene, as noted above, he notes that his opponent is a "heavy drinker" and aims a shot at his bloated liver.* ShirtlessScene* ShoutOut: To other Holmes adaptations:** Combined with ContinuityNod, the EstablishingShot of Baker Street in the first film is almost ''exactly'' the same shot that opened the Granada Sherlock Holmes series with the seminal Jeremy Brett.** In the second film, take a close look at Moriarty's little red notebook. Then go watch the Granada version of "The Final Problem" - specifically, the scene where Moriarty visits Holmes in Baker Street and consults his notebook about when Holmes first crossed his path.** When Watson comes to find Holmes after his boxing match in the first movie, Holmes' experiment with his violin and a jar full of flies is a recreation of a similar scene in the Basil Rathbone film ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes''.** "Dredger" bears some resemblance to Creator/RondoHatton, who played a similar hulking villain in the 1944 ''Holmes'' film ''The Pearl of Death''.** The scene where Watson tries to interest Holmes in some seemingly bizarre cases that people have written in to him about, only for Holmes to curtly reveal he's deduced the actually-very-mundane solutions from simply reading the letters, harkens back to a similar scene in Billy Wilder's ''The Private Life Of Sherlock Holmes''.* ShoutOut: To other works:** A line from Henry V, Act III while leaving the cemetery: --->'''Watson''': "Follow your spirit..."--->'''Holmes''' ''joining'': "And upon this charge, cry God for Harry, England, and St. George!"*** Of course, the most important part of this quote is the first line: [[ShoutOut "The game's]] [[MythologyGag afoot"...]]** A rather far-fetched ShoutOut is the newspaper a certain character reads at one point. The headline says "Panic in the streets." It's a London newspaper. Does Guy Ritchie like the Smiths?* SlidingScaleOfShinyVersusGritty: The depiction of London skews very strongly on the side of gritty, although even then, it's cleaner than real-life Victorian London would have been.* SnarkToSnarkCombat: Oh yes. Most conversations between Holmes and Watson are filled with snarky back-and-forth banter.* SpiritedCompetitor:** This is implied to be Holmes's general outlook, that he enjoys the chase and the intellectual challenges his work provides, and rejects cases that don't stimulate him. "My mind rebels at stagnation, give me problems, give me work."** Further emphasized in ''A Game of Shadows'', [[spoiler: at Holmes' funeral, where his epitaph reads]]: "He Played The Game For The Game's Own Sake"* SteelEarDrums: Averted in both films. In the first, after the [[spoiler: explosions on the dock]], everyone's ears are shown to be ringing and Sherlock seems extremely dazed and barely able to stand, indicating possible damage to his inner ear. In the second, Watson takes care to put on ear mufflers before [[spoiler: firing the cannon]]. Later on, it's shown in a first-person slo-mo shot that everyone is having trouble hearing, even their own yells, as they run through the forest trying to dodge the cannons and gunfire, and the men firing "Little Hansel" it are shown covering their ears.* StylisticSuck: PlayedWith. All the music in the series is played quite elegantly on deliberately out-of-tune instruments.* TheSummation* SuperDetailedFightNarration: Courtesy of his AwesomenessByAnalysis and AdrenalineTime.* SuperSenses: Holmes's observations often seem like this.* SwordCane: Watson's.%% TearJerker stuff goes in the tear jerker page* TriggerHappy:** Irene Adler's idea of an entrance is to start shooting and knocking people out.** Holmes could also be considered this too. Early in the film he was trying to construct a silencer and later in the film he empties his whole gun just moments after telling Watson to "save your bullets". Watson calls him on it.* TwoGuysAndAGirl: Holmes and Watson with Irene in the first film and Sim in the second.* VictorianLondon* VideoCredits* TheWatson: Watson performs his traditional service here, though the first film begins after many of their adventures, so Watson is allowed to make deductions of his own, told to Holmes.* WillTheyOrWontThey: Irene and Holmes to an extent.* XanatosSpeedChess: Holmes is a master, pitted against Blackwood's MagnificentBastard and Moriarty's {{Chessmaster}}.* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness:** In the first film, Holmes deduces that Riordan was killed as soon as his experiments were successful, for this reason.** Moriarty knows one simple rule: no loose ends. Which is why Rene is shot with a poison dart by Moran after his assassination attempt is stopped, and is also how Moriarty got Claude to kill himself right in front of Holmes, Watson and Simza.** Quoted by Moriarty in the second film when he "dismisses" Irene from their lunch engagement, though on-screen NeverFoundTheBody by Holmes, so who knows (see greenlighted sequel above).* YoungerAndHipper: The films have been called this, though the actors are actually a good ten to fifteen years ''older'' than Holmes and Watson would have been when their partnership began (Sherlockians generally place Holmes and Watson in their late twenties to early thirties at the start of ''A Study in Scarlet'') and just a couple of years younger than Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce when they started in their roles.[[/folder]][[folder:''Sherlock Holmes'']]* ActionPrologue / InMediasRes: The movie starts with Holmes, Watson, and the Yard capturing Lord Blackwood after he murders five girls, and thwarts his murdering a sixth.* AffablyEvil: Dredger -- considering his interactions with Holmes generally involve them trying to beat the crap out of each other, he's unfailingly polite.-->'''Holmes''': "(in French) One moment, please." \\'''Dredger''': "(in French) I'm in no hurry." (and while he advances after saying so, he ''did'' let Holmes climb to his feet and speak)** Blackwood is also quite polite, not to mention charismatic. [[spoiler:Which is of course part of his scheme, that he's a showman who makes his scientific feats look like magical conjurations]].* AlmostKiss: Sherlock leans forwards as if to kiss Irene at the end, then removes her stolen necklace instead. Before he leaves he quickly [[AnywhereButTheirLips kisses her on the forehead]].* AndTheAdventureContinues: Holmes, Watson and Mary are relaxing after the case is over when P.C Clark comes by with a summons from Lestrade: a police officer has been murdered and a vital element of Blackwood's device stolen, and Holmes recognizes the M.O as belonging to [[SequelHook a certain professor]] who's recently been brought to his attention.-->'''Holmes:''' Clarkie... case re-opened.* TheAntiChrist: Blackwood deliberately invokes all the tropes associated with the TheAntiChrist -- witchcraft, raising from the dead after three days, grand plans for WorldDomination, disciples, etc. In one scene, he's reading from the [[Literature/TheBible Book of Revelation]] about the biblical Beast. Holmes cautions him during their final encounter that [[spoiler:despite Blackwood's lack of genuine dark sorcery, the rituals he performed along the way were done to a tee and thus he had better hope that what he was getting himself into was just superstition]].* TheAppleFallsFar: Irene tries to cross a bridge at the climax only to find just in time that it hasn't been completed yet. A length of chain falls off the gap in her stead.* AppliedPhlebotinum: Holmes briefly uses a powerful electrode as a weapon which apparently needs to be charged with a hand-cranked generator.-->'''Watson:''' Holmes, what is that?\\'''Holmes:''' ''Je ne sais pas!'' [subtitle: "I don't know!"]** To be more precise, this shocking device is perfectly possible (a powerful capacitor with two terminals), but well beyond the technology of the period.* AristocratsAreEvil: Lord Blackwood.* ArtMajorBiology: If someone is hanged there are physical signs -- a broken neck or deep ligature marks from strangulation, bulging eyes, bowel failure, etc. Watson should have been just a little suspicious of Lord Blackwood's completely unmarked neck, at least.** Also the scene where Holmes blocks the chimney while talking with Lord Coward, slowly filling the room with smoke to escape. Both he and Coward keep speaking casually, even though with that much smoke around both should have been coughing their lungs out [[spoiler:despite neither of them being in the smoke cloud itself, with Coward at the far end of the room and Holmes ensconced in a nook beside the door, just out of sight]]. Not to mention that Coward would have smelled the smoke sooner than he saw it.* AscendedExtra: Irene Adler only appeared in one of the original Doyle stories ("A Scandal in Bohemia", where she was the antagonist), and Holmes only briefly encounters her in it. Here, she's upgraded to a major supporting character with hints of a romantic interest in Holmes.* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: Averted. Robert Maillet, who plays Dredger, is French-Canadian, specifically from Acadia. Incidentally, Dredger is also supposed to be French-Canadian--Maillet's accent may have inspired this coincidence of nationality.* BastardBastard: Blackwood was conceived out of wedlock during a "magical" ritual.* BatmanColdOpen: The opening action sequence.* BatmanGambit: Blackwood's attempt to [[spoiler:scare everybody into thinking he had great magical powers and thus he would rule England / the world.]] Of course, they may all be a part of the EvilPlan of [[spoiler:Professor Moriarty]] by exploiting the confusion caused by Blackwood's plan.* BerserkButton: [[spoiler: Blackwood needs Standish to try and shoot him so he'll become a self-inflicted victim of KillItWithFire, so he drops a few threatening lines about conquering America while referring to it as a colony. Blackwood knows that Standish is a firm believer in WhyDontYouJustShootHim, and it works perfectly.]] Although this doubles as a XanatosGambit, since [[spoiler:if Standish submits, it'll be taken as a sign that Blackwood is the one true leader.]]** Never, ever, spit on Holmes.* {{Bifauxnen}}: Irene Adler dresses in men's clothing in some scenes, probably referencing how she managed to get past Holmes in "A Scandal in Bohemia", where she says that she dresses as a man to enjoy the liberties to which she was otherwise not entitled in Victorian England. She even calls her men's clothing ''her walking clothes''. (Though she doesn't bother to hide her figure or remove her make-up at all - she'd never be taken for a man.)* BitterAlmonds: How Holmes discovers [[spoiler:the nature of Blackwood's weapon.]]* BladeBelowTheShoulder: Blackwood has a glass blade hidden in the sleeves of his robes, and attempts to stab Watson with it in the film's opening scene.* BlindfoldedTrip: When people arrange for Holmes's bail, Holmes gets into a carriage, and a man apologizes before putting a bag over Holmes's head. When the bag is taken off, Holmes is in front of Sir Thomas.-->'''Sir Thomas:''' Mr. Holmes, apologies for summoning you like this. I'm sure it's quite a mystery as to where you are, and who I am...-->'''Sherlock Holmes:''' As to where I am, I was, admittedly, lost for a moment, between Charing Cross and Holborn, but I was saved by the bread shop on Saffron Hill. The only baker to use a certain French glaze on their loaves - a Brittany sage. After that, the carriage forked left, then right, and then the tell-tale bump at the Fleet Conduit. And as to who you are, that took [[SarcasmMode every ounce of my not-inconsiderable experience]]. The letters on your desk were addressed to a Sir Thomas Rotherham. Lord Chief Justice, that would be the official title. Who you ''really'' are is, of course, another matter entirely. Judging by the sacred ox on your ring, you're the secret head of the Temple of the Four Orders, in whose headquarters we now sit. Located on the northwest corner of St. James Square, I think. As to the mystery, the only ''mystery'' is why you bothered to blindfold me at all.-->''*Beat*''-->'''Sir Thomas:''' Yes, well... Standard procedure, I suppose. * BoardToDeath: [[spoiler:What Blackwood intended to do to Parliament]]* BrickJoke: In the beginning, after Blackwood has supposedly come BackFromTheDead, Holmes says they have to investigate it to preserve Watson's professional integrity as "No woman wants to marry a doctor who cannot tell if a man's dead or not." It goes unmentioned until [[spoiler:the final scene where Holmes is doing the summation of how Blackwood faked his death, and begins his explanation of how he didn't have a pulse by saying he will now restore Watson's doctoral reputation]].** Also, during the ActionPrologue, Watson gets the drop on a {{Mook}} about to strike Holmes and covers his nose to render him unconscious. After a moment or so, Holmes remarks that Watson is a doctor after all. Near the end, Watson [[spoiler:has Dredger in a choke-hold and says "Relax...I'm a doctor" before Dredger finally loses consciousness]].* BulletproofHumanShield: Happens during the first fight scene, when Sherlock spots a henchman coming towards him with a revolver and uses some fancy martial arts technique to maneuver the henchman he is currently fighting into taking the bullet for him.* CaneFu: Holmes, Watson and Blackwood are all proficient.* CaptainObvious: Blackwood's coffin is opened to reveal the midget's corpse.-->'''Lestrade:''' "That's not Blackwood!"-->''Holmes closes his eyes in exasperation''-->'''Holmes:''' "Well, now we have a firm grasp of the obvious."* [[CarCushion Carriage Cushion]]: The 19th century version. A burning Standish falls out of a window on top of a horse-drawn carriage. * ChainedToABed: Holmes, in a [[Funny/SherlockHolmes Crowning Moment of Funny]].* ChekhovsArmory: [[spoiler:The "Ginger Midget's" lab and the flashes Holmes gets as he looks around.]] Arguably, with Holmes, the entire film.* ChekhovsGun:** The mentions of the bridge that's being built at the beginning.** Also Lord Coward's shoes.** The rat's tail that Holmes snips off at Blackwood's factory.* ChokeHolds: A thug sneaking up on Holmes is put in a blood choke by Watson. To prevent the guy from screaming, Holmes immediately pinches off his nose and mouth. They chat for a bit even as Watson chokes the guy into unconsciousness, and once the thug has passed out, move on. At the end of the film, Dredger has to be slowly air choked because he's just too darn big for anything else.* ClimbingClimax: [[spoiler:The final fight between Holmes and Blackwood on the half built Tower Bridge.]]* ClipboardOfAuthority: Watson uses one to infiltrate a factory.* ConnectTheDeaths: In its use of this trope, it's a better adaptation of Creator/AlanMoore's ''Comicbook/FromHell'' than the actual movie ''Film/FromHell''.* ConveyorBeltODoom: The slaughterhouse scene.* CreepyRavens: A raven is seen every time someone is killed or implied to be killed.* CutLexLuthorACheck: [[spoiler:Among many of the technologies Lord Blackwood uses to simulate magic, the gas machine is a remarkable invention. Subverted when Moriarty sees the value in the radio receiver and steals it.]]** The whole Blackwood plot, although haphazard at first, has a very practical goal: [[spoiler: a coup d'�tat installing Blackwood's supporters in the highest seats of power]].* CuttingTheKnot: Holmes is trying to open a locked door with an array of lock picks. Watson merely kicks the door open.* [[DarkIsEvil Dark is]] / [[DarkIsNotEvil Not Evil]]: Everything connected with Blackwood is always associated with pure darkness. Also, Blackwood is always seen wearing a wicked-looking black leather trenchcoat while his minions wear dark cloaks. However Holmes himself is TallDarkAndSnarky, and also dresses in gloomy black, complete with SinisterShades.* DarkMessiah: Lord Blackwood would very much like to be thought of as one of these, and goes a long way towards convincing the entire country he is. [[spoiler: But then, in the end, he actually isn't...probably.]]* DeadlyBath: [[spoiler: Sir Thomas is murdered in his bath.]]* DeathTrap: Several... [[ConveyorBeltODoom one for Irene]], one for [[spoiler:[[GasChamber Parliament,]]]] one for [[KillItWithFire Standish]], etc.* DiabolicalMastermind: Blackwood [[spoiler: and later revealed Moriarty.]]* DisneyVillainDeath: [[spoiler: Blackwood, in an entirely gratuitous falling off of tall stuff ''after'' the fight scene example.]]* DisproportionateRetribution: In the pit-fighting scene, Holmes gives up and walked away...at which point his opponent spits at the back of his head. The following NoHoldsBarredBeatdown / CurbStompBattle is performed ''solely so that the opponent couldn't spit at him again''. The fact that Holmes has spied Irene in the audience a few moments before probably has a lot to do with that. He can't exactly look bad in front of her. [[AScandalInBohemia Again]].* DoingInTheWizard: [[spoiler:At the end of the movie, Holmes beautifully deconstructs Blackwood's every known act of sorcery, explaining exactly how each was done via friends in high places, applied science, and plain old theatrics. He also notes that Blackwood had better hope the occult parts were all baseless superstition, since he did the rituals perfectly.]]* {{Doomsayer}}: Crowds of of these are seen being broken up by mounted police outside the Houses of Parliament, indicating the "Panic, sheer bloody panic!" inspired by Lord Blackwood's return from the dead. One man really goes to town describing the terrible events to come.-->"The end is nigh! Blackwood's come back from Hell, and laid a curse upon this land! He walks in every shadow, and every puff of smoke! Behold, he cometh with clouds, and every ene shall see him and every soul shall wail because of him! You cannot stop him! No one can!"* [[DudeShesLikeInAComa Lady, He's, Like, In a Coma]]: Irene kisses Holmes after he passes out from the drug she slipped into his wine. She also strips him naked and [[ChainedToABed chains him to a bed]] while he's in the same unconscious state.* EloquentInMyNativeTongue: Dredger.* TheEndingChangesEverything: [[spoiler:During the final sequence atop the Tower Bridge, Holmes pulls back the curtain on all of Blackwood's supposed dark magic from his resurrection to his ability to "conjure" magic. See OnceMoreWithClarity below.]]* EsotericMotifs: The four murders planned by Blackwood correspond to the four classical elements:** Earth:[[spoiler:Reordan is buried in Blackwood's dirt-filled coffin after being killed.]]** Water:[[spoiler:Sir Thomas is drowned in his bath when when Blackwood sneaks a paralytic chemical into it.]]** Fire:[[spoiler:Standish is burned to death when his pistol backfires.]]** Air:[[spoiler:Everyone in Parliament is nearly killed by poison gas. Instead, Blackwood ends up hanging himself.]]** [[ViewersAreGeniuses This is never mentioned, at all.]] Presumably they wanted to be careful around [[AngelsAndDemons another recent movie that had coincidentally pulled exactly the same trick.]]** Additionally, [[spoiler:the elements are paired with their opposites for each murder.]]*** Earth:[[spoiler:Reordan is buried in the earth and dies from a lack of air.]]*** Water:[[spoiler:Sir Thomas dies submerged in water that is heated by fire.]]*** Fire:[[spoiler:Standish is immolated by fire, hastened by the fact that he was soaked in a chemical he took to be water.]]*** Air:[[spoiler:Parliament would have been killed by poison gas pumped in from beneath the earth.]]** In addition, the four murders also correspond to four animals: the man, ox, lion, and eagle, which have various significances:** In Literature/TheBible, cherubim are described in the book of Ezekiel as having the faces of these four animals.** In early Christian thought, they represent the authors of the four Gospels.** They also represent the four classical elements, though their traditional attributions don't quite match up with the movie's elemental correspondences; namely, the eagle traditionally represents Water, but the victim in the movie who corresponds to the eagle is the Fire murder. [[spoiler: Of course, since the eagle is also a symbol of America, it makes sense that the writers would have the American victim be the eagle, so that little bit of artistic license is pretty well justified.]]* EvenTheDogIsAshamed: The scene where Dr Watson realizes that Holmes deliberately forgot his gun to get him to come along, then almost immediately heads off after Holmes; cue AnimalReactionShot.* [[EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench Everything Sounds More Sophisticated In French]]: The various fight scenes with "Dredger"* EvilSorcerer: Lord Blackwood. [[spoiler:Although, he does not actually have any powers, just common sense, sleight of hand, and a well-tuned sense of theatricality]].* EvilSoundsDeep: Dredger, the giant French henchman.* ExploitedImmunity: Blackwood plans an attack on the Houses of Parliament that involves gassing everyone inside with cyanide, leaving his opponents dead and his supporters alive, allowing them to seize power for him while reinforcing his image of being an EvilSorcerer who protects those loyal to him with dark magic. [[spoiler:He secretly immunises his supporters against cyanide poisoning the night before the attack, by making them drink a toast in his honor.]]* EyeObscuringHat: The thug working for Lord Blackwood who tries tries to shoot Watson in the opening temple fight. Likely a sign that he's a ProfessionalKiller (the hat pulled down is to obscure his face from witnesses).* TheFaceless: [[spoiler:Professor Moriarty]]* FailedASpotCheck: Holmes is so busy trying to analyze the strange smell in Reordan's place, he doesn't notice two thugs have sauntered through the door, one eating a toffee apple, the source of the smell.* FauxSymbolism: Invoked in-universe. [[spoiler:Blackwood killed the five girls in locations that form a pentagram on a map when lines are drawn to connect them. The four victims he claims (or attempts to claim) during film form a cross through the pentagram. Further, each victim is connected to one of the four animals that make up the parts of the sphinx and is killed in a manner invoking one of the four elements. However, it's all for show -- Blackwood has no magical powers ([[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane it seems]]) and is using the symbolism of his crimes to reinforce the idea he ''does'' have powers, making it easier to inspire loyalty and obedience through fear. Sherlock calls out that the ritualistic elements to his crimes are a ruse during the climax.]]* FieryCoverUp: Two mooks arrive at Reordan's quarters as Holmes and Watson are investigating them. Holmes recognises the gear they're carrying as an arsonist's toolkit and guesses Blackwood has ordered them to torch the place.* FireWaterJuxtaposition: Used to contrast two of the most dramatic onscreen murders, both of which occur at the midpoint of the film when Lord Blackwood's plan is coming together. We see Blackwood drown [[spoiler: Sir Thomas Rotheram]] in his bathtub about 15 minutes before he burns [[spoiler: Ambassador Standish]] alive.* FiveBadBand: Split into two competing groups but otherwise fitting their roles.** BigBad--Lord Blackwood.** TheDragon--[[spoiler: Lord Coward]].** EvilGenius--Reordan, a ginger midget who [[spoiler:works for Blackwood.]]** TheBrute--Dredger.** DarkChick--[[spoiler: Irene Adler. Working for Moriarty against Blackwood's group.]]* FoodSlap: When Sherlock implies that Mary is only in a relationship with Watson for his money, she splashes her wine on him.* ForeseeingMyDeath: Watson claims to have met a man in India who predicted the circumstances of his death, down to the number of bullets it would take to kill him and where each of those bullets would hit him.* FutileHandReach: Watson does one of these towards Holmes right before [[spoiler: the pier blows up.]]* GallowsHumor: A very literal example at the end, when [[spoiler: Holmes hangs himself as a forensic experiment, but never stops [[DeadpanSnarker wisecracking]].]]* GenreSavvy: Watson at the very end, who enters his lodgings to find that Holmes has apparently [[spoiler:hanged himself]]. While his fiancee Mary is shocked, Watson just rolls his eyes and snarks a little. By this time, he (and the viewers) knows enough to recognize this as yet another Sherlock Holmes experiment.* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: See OrphanedPunchline and HoldingTheFloor below and keep in mind that Holmes tells this joke in jail.* GiantMook: "Dredger," Blackwood's giant French enforcer.* GodlySidestep: Holmes claims that his experimenting with one of the Hermetic rituals used by the Temple of the Four Orders has allowed him to reconcile nearly 2000 years of theological disparity... unfortunately, it's a story for another time, since stopping Blackwood from toppling Parliament is a more pressing concern.* GoGoEnslavement: Beneath this pillow lies the key to Sherlock's release.* GoLookAtTheDistraction: Holmes sends the officers to find where Sir Thomas kept his bath salts while he looks for Thomas's occult paraphernalia.* GoryDiscretionShot: When Blackwood makes his short drop [[spoiler: for real at the end]], we are indicated that he's dead not by seeing him hit the sudden stop directly, but by seeing the chain that ended up around his neck going suddenly taut.* GovernmentConspiracy* TheGroup: An exclusive secret society that supposedly rules the British Empire and manipulates much of the rest of the world. Blackwood takes over and uses it to attack Holmes. Possibly subverted in that the group is likely not as powerful as it likes to think, given [[spoiler: the failure of the parliamentary coup and the death of several of its members.]] Something of a deconstruction as well; the supposedly all-powerful and omnipotent secret society is ultimately revealed to be little more than a bunch of superstitious and ineffectual old men [[spoiler: who'll let any old charlatan with a theatrical manner and some admittedly impressive conjuring tricks seduce them with dreams of power and glory]].* GutFeeling: How Holmes expected Blackwood's BladeBelowTheShoulder attack: "I was looking for it."** However another interpretation of this comment is that Holmes (as always) was paying attention to his surroundings, as opposed to Watson who charged Blackwood in a rage and nearly got [[EyeScream impaled on Blackwood's glass blade]].* HannibalLecture: Blackwood tries this on Holmes before his execution.* HerrDoctor: Holmes disguises himself as a German-accented doctor after [[spoiler:Watson]] gets caught in one of the villain's traps and winds up in hospital.* {{Hikikomori}}: Sherlock spent ''two weeks'' without leaving his room. That's a very hikki thing.* HoldingTheFloor: When left in prison, Holmes avoids getting beaten up by fellow inmates by telling jokes.* HollywoodSilencer: Holmes is trying to build one early in the film, much to the annoyance of Watson and Mrs. Hudson. Somewhat subverted, since the silencer does not work. At all. Of note is that he's using a Nagant, which forces the cylinder forward to seal the chamber, making it the only revolver that can actually be suppressed.* HomageShot: The EstablishingShot of Baker Street is very clearly modeled after the opening credits of the [[Series/TheAdventuresOfSherlockHolmes Granada TV series]] starring Creator/JeremyBrett.* HotterAndSexier: Creator/RobertDowneyJr. and especially Creator/JudeLaw, who cuts a very different profile from the typical image of Watson. Of course, when you think about it, he couldn't have been drawing in women on moustache alone.* ImprobableWeaponUser: See AppliedPhlebotinum.* InherentlyFunnyWords: Ginger Midget. Repeat as necessary.* InsistentTerminology: Reardon is a midget, not a dwarf. Holmes is correct about there being a technical difference, a midget has the same body proportions as the norm and a dwarf does not. For the time the movie is set this is correct usage. "Midget" being used as a disparaging term and applied to all small people was a later evolution of language.* InterserviceRivalry: Very mild, subtle example: Dr. Watson and Captain Tanner (captain of the tugboat Holmes charters) are constantly bickering in the scenes they appear together in. Watson is, of course, an old army man, and Tanner was in the navy...* UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper: It is subtly hinted that Blackwood may have been somehow involved ("Those five girls were not the first to be butchered... no one could prove anything, but we all knew.").* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:Lord Blackwood's entire scheme hinges on him cheating the gallows and escaping a well-deserved hanging. Guess what happens to him at the end...]]* KillItWithFire: Sort of. Lord Blackwood [[spoiler:tricks one of his enemies into killing ''himself'' with fire.]]* LameComeback:-->'''Watson''': Dinner at eight. Wear a jacket.-->'''Holmes''': ''You'' wear a jacket.* LeftTheBackgroundMusicOn: A minor example where Holmes is shown following Irene Adler and the music played during this scene is revealed to be him playing his violin.** And again, towards the end of the film, [[spoiler: when he has a small case of HeroicBlueScreenOfDeath, is wanted by the cops, and begins absently plucking his leif motif on a RoomFullOfCrazy.]]* [[LeftYourLifesaverBehind Left Your Revolver Behind]]: Subverted. Watson is furious when Sherlock leaves without his revolver, knowing [[BatmanGambit he did it deliberately]] so his friend will feel obliged to chase after him.* LocalReference: The villain mentions during his EvilGloating that he has plans to take over America as well as Britain.** Amazingly, this is actually an in-universe InvokedTrope because [[spoiler:Blackwood really needed to push the BerserkButton of the American ambassador. Whether he meant to follow through on the threat is iffy.]]* MagicFromTechnology: [[spoiler:Blackwood isn't really an EvilSorceror. He's just aware of ClarkesThirdLaw and has a good sense of theatrics.]]* TheManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler: [[ItWasHisSled Prof. Moriarty, for Irene Adler]] and Lord Blackwood for Lord Coward.]]* ManipulativeBastard: Blackwood's entire plan is more or less to MindRape all of London so he can use their fear of him to control them.* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: [[spoiler:Blackwood's [[ContrivedCoincidence death]]. "You had best hope it's not real, because you performed the ritual perfectly. The devil's due a soul, I think." The raven - normal bird, that [[RedHerring coincidentally keeps appearing]] or ''[[{{Satan}} something]]'' keeping an eye on Blackwood?]]* MeaningfulName: Something of a GeniusBonus, which may very well have been accidental - Blackwood's name brings to mind ''Blackwood's Magazine'', one of the chief competitors to ''The Strand'', the magazine in which almost all of the original Holmes stories were serialized.* MenCantKeepHouse: The first time we see Holmes' apartment, it is a darkened disheveled mess, complete with bullet holes in the walls. This trope is indirectly discussed when Mrs. Hudson enters and Holmes teases her for not making her rounds more frequently.* MisappliedPhlebotinum: The EvilGenius has developed a method of [[spoiler:radio control]] seven years before it was actually invented by NikolaTesla. Blackwood uses it to [[spoiler:pretend to have magical powers]]** He used it for practical purpose ([[spoiler: killing opposing politicians]]), magic was only the explanation for the public.* MisplacedNamesPoster: The poster in the page image doesn't qualify, but [[http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Sherlock-Holmes-Poster_4327.jpg this one]] does.* TheMockbuster: ''Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes'' by TheAsylum (The Asylum specialize in mockbusters), released in 2010 with [[Series/{{Torchwood}} Ianto Jones]] as Watson and [[Series/StarTrekEnterprise Dominic Keating]] as Spring-Heeled Jack. Featuring Holmes fighting ''giant monsters''.* TheMole: Irene is working for [[spoiler: Professor Moriarty]]. The trope doesn't come into full effect until she teams up with Sherlock and Watson in the third act after trying (and failing) to call it quits.* MonumentalBattle: Atop the incomplete Tower Bridge.* MoodWhiplash: Noted by many a reviewer. The film's pacing is a little odd, so at times it suffers from this.* MuggingTheMonster: Two thugs try to rob Irene. [[HilarityEnsues You can guess how that turns out.]]* MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] by Lord Blackwood before his execution. [[spoiler: His death was faked, of course. His real death actually is the beginning, shortly after he dies we get a SequelHook featuring Holmes true nemesis Moriarty.]]* MysteriousEmployer: [[spoiler:Moriarty, but of course]].* NakedPeopleAreFunny: When Holmes is ChainedToABed.-->'''Holmes:''' Madam, I need you to remain calm. And trust me, I'm a professional. [[AccidentalInnuendo Beneath this pillow, lies the key to my release.]]* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: If your title is Lord Blackwood, it's almost a requirement that you'll be involved in the dark arts. [[spoiler: Also, Lord Coward. To the general public, a funny, jovial guy. And neither does Standish's name sound very antagonistic, in comparison to Coward's]].* NearVillainVictory: Blackwood had pushed the button that would seal the fate of the British Parliament. Irene and Holmes had found the device but were struggling with how to actually stop its operation. Furthermore they had to deal with Blackwood's henchmen guarding the device, any of whom could have possibly stopped them right at the critical moment.* NewspaperThinDisguise: Pulled by [[spoiler: Moriarty]] in the train car.* NoodleIncident: Apart from various {{Mythology Gag}}s, there's also the second time Irene Adler outsmarted Holmes (assuming the first was a reference to ''A Scandal in Bohemia''). Whatever happened apparently involved a stolen diamond and led to [[FoeRomanceSubtext Holmes and Adler sharing a room in the Grand Hotel]]. The fact that Holmes prepares to defend his life when Adler reaches inside her VictoriasSecretCompartment indicates that things didn't turn out well.* NothingUpMySleeve: [[spoiler: Professor Moriarty's signature weapon is a hidden gun in his sleeve.]]* OhCrap: The look on Holmes and Watson's faces when Dredger walks into the midget's lodgings.-->'''Holmes''': ''(points to [[GiantMook Dredger]])'' Meat...''(points to two other {{mooks}} with Dredger)'' Or potatoes?-->'''Watson''': My 10 minutes are up. ''(cue awesome fight scene)''* OhNoNotAgain: "He's killed the dog...again!"* OnceMoreWithClarity: [[spoiler:Holmes explains all of Blackwood's sorcery at the end with accompanying scenes that show the real "magic" at work.]]* OrphanedPunchline: "...to which the barman says, 'May I push in your stool?'"* OutrunTheFireball: [[spoiler:Averted. As Team Holmes leaves a slaughterhouse, Watson pulls ahead and accidentally hits a tripwire. He realizes what's going on and tries to warn Holmes, so Holmes gets to watch his best friend get blown up. Then Adler. He then grabs a tray to use as a shield, and heads back to Irene while his shield is destroyed by the explosion. He picks her up, and they ''try'' to outrun the blast and save Watson, but get about two steps before they're both caught in it.]] All in glorious bullet time. And followed up by ShellShockSilence.* PayingForTheActionScene: Holmes engages in a pit fight in a dingy pub and eventually knocks his opponent through the wood wall. He collects his winnings and leaves some of it on the bar counter, apparently as payment for the wall and the extra bottle he takes from the bar. * PosthumousCharacter: The Ginger Midget is dead before we even get to meet him, but the things he does in his experiments for Blackwood lie at the core of the film.* PunchPunchPunchUhOh: Holmes vs. Dredger. It somehow manages to be [[ZigZaggingTrope played straight, subverted, and averted]] throughout the entire course of the film.* RaceAgainstTheClock: Literally; Lord Blackwood announces that when Big Ben chimes twelve, everyone in Parliament who's not part of his cult will die. In the sewers below, Holmes and Watson are struggling with Dredger [[spoiler:while Irene Adler tries to defuse a SteamPunk DeadlyGas device.]]* RealityIsUnrealistic: Tower Bridge is designed so well to blend in with much older nearby buildings (like the Tower of London) that some viewers were shocked to see its half-completed steel skeleton form the setting for the final confrontation with Blackwood.* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Both Clarkie and Lestrade continue to trust Holmes after a warrant is issued for his arrest; Clarkie makes sure he escapes the police at the slaughterhouse, and Lestrade slips him the key to his handcuffs.* RedHerring: [[spoiler: You know that sinister looking black bird? The one that manages to show up whenever Lord Blackwood kills someone by seemingly supernatural means? It's a perfectly ordinary raven, similar to those commonly found all over the UK.]]* RomanticismVersusEnlightenment: Undertones in the main hero and main villain. Sherlock is very much Enlightened; believing in rationality and science, expressing awe and appreciation in the power of industry and believing in justice. Blackwood is very Romantic, having strokes of {{Ubermensch}}-ness, belief that DemocracyIsBad, and being very steeped in the occult. Seeing that the hero of the story is Sherlock, the movie seems to come off as pro-Enlightenment.* SaveTheVillain: [[spoiler: Holmes saves Blackwood from being dragged off the bridge, if only so he can be ''properly'' hanged this time around. After Blackwood tries to kill him again, though, Holmes lets the hanging take place sooner than Blackwood had hoped.]]* ScoobyDooHoax: [[spoiler:The truth about the strange phenomena around Lord Blackwood.]]* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: When the Order approaches Holmes asking him to clear up the mess they ended up creating with Blackwood and offers to allow him to name his price, Holmes coolly remarks that the advantage of being a consulting detective means he gets to pick and choose his clients, and agrees to stop Blackwood... "but not for ''you''. And ''certainly'' not for a price."* SequelHook: Irene's employer? None other than [[spoiler:Professor Moriarty]]. [[spoiler:Subverted slightly in that Moriarty's reason for being involved is not brought up in the sequel]].* SlippingAMickey: When Holmes goes to see Irene, she offers him a glass of wine from an unopened bottle. [[spoiler:Then, after Holmes drinks it and collapses, we get to see a short flashback-- of her doctoring the bottle with a syringe, and resealing it.]]* SmugSnake: [[spoiler: Lord Coward]], who is admittedly working with genuine MagnificentBastard Blackwood. Even taking this into account, however, he seems to spend most of the movie doing little more than standing around looking rather smug; he does attempt to avert WhyDontYouJustShootHim, but fails miserably.* SnipeHunt: Variation, in that Holmes sends the police to go find something that actually is there, but still used to get them out of the way so he can do his thing. [[spoiler:And steal evidence.]]* SpontaneousHumanCombustion: Ambassador Standish bursts into flames when he attempts to shoot Lord Blackwood. [[spoiler: This is intended to be taken as a magical occurrence, displaying the dark powers Blackwood has protecting him from those who oppose him, but in the end a clear, external cause is revealed by Holmes that has nothing at all to do with magic.]]* AStormIsComing: Subverted. The storm is coming line is '''AFTER''' the finale, and everything being resolved... [[spoiler:Unless it was about Moriarty!]] * StunnedSilence: Holmes' NoHoldsBarredBeatdown of the boxer who [[DisproportionateRetribution made the mistake of spitting at the back of his head]] reduces the crowd of spectators from howling for blood into stunned, meek silence within seconds -- except for one chap who blurts out "where the hell did ''that'' come from?!" (not ''too'' loudly, though, presumably in case Holmes took exception and came looking for ''him'').. * TapOnTheHead: Averted in the opening where Holmes takes out a man by breaking his leg, causing him to lose consciousness from the shock, and quickly afterwards suffocating another man to unconsciousness. * TemptingFate: Blackwood's [[spoiler:"It's a long journey from here to the rope" at the end of the movie]].** After Holmes meets with Sir Thomas, he asks Sir Thomas how long he expects to live if the rest of Blackwood's family has been killed, and tells him to consider it as food for thought. It's HarsherInHindsight given that Blackwood drowns him in his bathtub that night. * ThatCameOutWrong: Holmes of course, gets the best one. Of course, ItMakesSenseInContext.-->'''Holmes:''' Beneath this pillow lies the key to my release.* ToplessnessFromTheBack: Irene drops her clothing while walking away during Holmes's visit.* TrustMeImAnX:** First, the famous chained to the bed scene:--->'''Holmes:''' Madam, I need you to remain calm. And trust me, I'm a professional. [[AccidentalInnuendo Beneath this pillow, lies the key to my release.]]** When Watson is choking Dredger, he reassuringly tells him, "Relax, I'm a doctor."* UnspokenPlanGuarantee: Averted in the boxing match to show Holmes' AwesomenessByAnalysis: Holmes meticulously plans his beatdown of his opponent step-by-step, and it goes exactly as he planned it. Then again it was all in internal monologue so never actually spoken.* UnwittingPawn:** As we learn at the end, [[spoiler:Lord Blackwood himself.]]** Holmes himself, as while he ultimately solves the plot through sheer genius and tenacity, the first two thirds of the movie has him falling into Blackwood's plan and pretty much doing as Blackwood expected. [[spoiler:And he ultimately falls for the distraction that allows Moriarty to get what he wanted.]]* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: [[spoiler:Coward's]] motivation for supporting Blackwood's scheme is 'to provide the weak masses with a strong shepherd.''* UseYourHead: Holmes gives the giant French henchman a headbutt but the latter seems underwhelmed by it.* VictoriasSecretCompartment:** Inverted as Holmes drops the handcuff key down between Irene Adler's breasts for her to fish around for.*** Not for her... He handcuffed her behind her back. She'll have to get someone else to fish around in there for it. [[LaserGuidedKarma Just like she did to him earlier]].** Also played straight with the 'Maharajah's Diamond' and, earlier, the 'deadly' envelope.* WhenTheClockStrikesTwelve: [[spoiler:Blackwood's device is set to detonate on the twelfth chime of [[WestminsterChimes Big Ben]].]]* XanatosGambit /KansasCityShuffle: The second is part of the first. [[spoiler:Everyone assumes that Irene's employer wants the gas, and indeed, her mission is to steal it for him. But it ultimately doesn't matter at all to Moriarty whether the gas is used against Parliament or not, or whether Adler succeeds in stealing the canister. [[KansasCityShuffle He's really after the first-of-its-kind radio transmitter, a far rarer artifact (yet more versatile) than poison gas, something that would be quite easy to come by in industrial London. Everything she does serves only to distract]] Holmes and Blackwood.]]* YouGotSpunk: Holmes' reaction to seeing Irene's response to being mugged.-->'''Holmes:''' That's the Irene I know.* YouJustToldMe: "I don't care much what you think. I just simply wanted to know the location of Blackwood�s final ceremony. And now you've given it to me. "[[/folder]][[folder:''A Game of Shadows'']]* ActionizedSequel: This movie spends more time on the chase and action sequences than on deduction and mystery in comparison to the first film. This is actually an accurate reflection of "The Final Problem", the canon story that ''A Game of Shadows'' is loosely based on. That story had no central mystery and very little deductive sequences, and was instead concerned entirely with the Holmes/Moriarty conflict.* AffectionatePickpocket: Sherlock steals a message meant for Moriarty from Irene Adler, who tries to steal it back while kissing him, but Holmes just grabs her hand before it reaches its target.* AlmightyJanitor: Mycroft is indispensible to the British government, even though no one knows what he exactly does.* AmbiguouslyGay:** Mycroft Holmes thoughtfully explains that he can understand how a man of a particular disposition could enjoy the company of women. He's also completely unashamed to walk around naked in front of one. However, he's also a {{Cloudcuckoolander}}** Sherlock Holmes, who is extremely attached to Watson. He talks about their relationship, but Watson objects to the term, so Holmes calls it a "partnership." Later, they dance together. Holmes asks how Watson learned to dance like that and Watsons says that Holmes taught him. However, Holmes clearly has romantic feelings toward Irene Adler.* AndYourLittleDogToo: Moriarty makes a point of threatening Watson and Mary for no other reason than to get back at Holmes.* ArchEnemy: Moriarty, naturally. * AtTheOperaTonight: Holmes suspects the [[spoiler: bomb]] is at the opera house where Don Giovanni is playing [[spoiler: and Moriarty is attending]]. Then realizes that a few clues were actually {{Red Herring}}s.* AvoidingTheGreatWar: Moriarty tries to start a world war so that he could supply weapons. He mentions that, even if he's stopped, the world will still find a way. * AwesomeByAnalysis: Back again with Holmes' ability to play out a fight in his head before it begins to achieve victory. He even has a BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind with Moriarty as they predict and counter-predict their movements in this fashion. Both times after the first, however, are subverted. [[spoiler:Simza interrupts by throwing a knife at the cossack assassin and Sherlock goes off script by blowing ash in Moriarty's face, grabbing him, and [[TakingYouWithMe leaping over the balcony]].]]* BadassBookworm: In addition to Holmes, we have Moriarty, a Cambridge boxing champion, university professor, and diabolical mastermind.* BadassInANiceSuit: At the peace conference, Holmes, Watson, and their {{evil counterpart}}s all qualify with their tuxedos.* BadassInDistress: Holmes gets [[spoiler: captured and ''brutally'' tortured by Moriarty]] and has to be rescued by Watson. He's in very bad shape afterwards, but he still manages to help fight their way out. [[spoiler: Later, it turns out that he intentionally allowed himself to be caught and tortured in order to get close enough to pickpocket the notebook containing financial details of Moriarty's criminal empire.]]* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind: Holmes and Moriarty have an AwesomeByAnalysis-off as they plan their attacks.** Though the twist is that it's showing exactly how a real fist-fight ''would'' go if they went for it. They just both happen to be predicting the same sequence of events [[spoiler: in which Moriarty wins and kills Holmes.]]* TheBigBoard: Holmes has one (resembling a RoomFullOfCrazy) that uses red string in an attempt to draw connections between Moriarty's criminals acts. Later Holmes comes across a neater version in the Heilbronn arms factory showing [[WorldWarOne what Moriarty is actually planning]].* BiggerStick: Moran has Watson pinned behind a covered piece of machinery, until Watson notices what it is he's behind--[[spoiler:a massive cannon]].* BlastingItOutOfTheirHands: An unusually lethal use of this trope occurs when Watson shoots a Redcoat in the arm on the train, causing him to drop a primed grenade.* BombThrowingAnarchists: Simza and her brother were a member of an anarchist organization before they grew too extreme.* BookEnds: [[spoiler: Irene's handkerchief in relation to her entering and exiting the films' plots.]]* BoringButPractical: The pony Holmes ends up with for the border crossing. Compared to the horses everybody else is riding, it's distinctly lacking in coolness. It's easily the most ''efficient'' mount in the mountains though.* BrickJoke: [[spoiler:Holmes's camouflage suit. First used so he can shoot Watson with little blowdarts. Then it's what Holmes wears to hide himself in the room where Watson is typing his manuscript of the events.]]** Moriarty makes a metaphor about him and Holmes being a fisherman and a trout [[spoiler: during the scene where he tortures Holmes in Heilbronn. Holmes later reveals that he willingly let himself get tortured in an effort to pickpocket Moriarty's notebook. When Moriarty flips through the decoy notebook Holmes left, he finds a flip-book cartoon of a stick man fishing up a trout only to get eaten by it, leaving the words ''Be Careful What You [[{{Pun}} Fish]] For!'']]* CallBack:** [[spoiler:Holmes's use of the pipe ashes to distract Moriarty is reminiscent of his use of Irene's handkerchief in the first film to distract a boxing opponent.]]** Watson is ''still'' good at kicking down doors.** Holmes talked about going to see ''DonGiovanni'' in the first film.** The large cove in the bowler from the prison yard shows up at [[spoiler: Holmes's funeral]].** "Always good to see you, Watson," is a bittersweet example, especially in light of the fact that [[spoiler:Watson is the last thing he sees. He even closes his eyes to make sure of it]].** The Redcoat that tries to shoot Watson and Holmes immolating himself as a result of a rigged bullet in his Maxim gun (or more specifically, Holmes replacing one of the bullets with a tube of lipstick so that the gun temporarily jams long enough for Watson to shoot one of the gunners) might be a call back to how Blackwood kills Ambassador Standish by replacing one of the bullets in his revolver with a specially-rigged blank. ** The first time we get an actual glimpse of Moriarty, he's shrouded in all-concealing shadows, like his appearances in the first film.* CaneFu: Holmes uses his umbrella to hold off a knife wielding Cossack.* CarryingACake Bomb: When Holmes, Watson and Simza are being directed to Claude Ravache's place, a cake for a reception at nearby hotel is just being wheeled out of the kitchen they travel through. Holmes later realizes that it is actually a bomb.* CeilingCling: The Cossack assassin.* ChekhovsArmory: Moriarty [[spoiler:feeding the pigeons, the plants in his office, the equations on the board, Holmes's camouflage, the oxygen device, the twin Mooks, the wedding gift]].* ChekhovsSkill: While describing him to Watson near the beginning, Holmes offhandedly mentions that Moriarty [[spoiler:was the boxing champion of Cambridge]].* TheChessmaster: Both Holmes and Moriarty, as per the norm. The climax of the film even [[spoiler:has them playing chess outside the location of an assassination, their moves mirroring what their 'pieces' are doing inside. The game actually ends verbally, with them stating their moves aloud until one of them wins both the game and the game of wits they've been going at the entire film]].* ChessMotifs: All over the place, especially in the GrandFinale, which consists largely of a literal chess game between Holmes and Moriarty.* ColdBloodedTorture: Moriarty has Holmes suspended by a hook in his shoulder and knocks him around while singing along to opera.** The song itself is actually a lied of Schubert, called The Trout. Roughly translated, it's about a fisherman who tricks a trout into biting his line by muddying the waters and the fish is betrayed. The music editor was a little sadistic with his choices.* ColdSniper: Sebastian Moran.* ComplexityAddiction: Moriarty, with the means at his disposal, he probably could have killed Holmes any time he wanted. Moran could have done it without much trouble, if nothing else. He clearly wanted an opponent to make the game more interesting. He ultimately dies from it: When Sherlock goads him into a complex fistfight in their heads, he falls a ''third'' time to Sherlock feigning defeatism, this time for a simple attack comprising of [[AHandfulForAnEye a facefull of pipe embers]] and a grapple sending them over the ledge into the waterfalls.* ContinuityNod: As in the first film, Holmes finds himself dining alone in a hotel.* CPRCleanPrettyReliable: Averted. When Holmes passes out after the shootout and running chase in the Heilbronn train yard and forest, Watson's chest compressions do not revive Holmes, so he has to use adrenaline. After Holmes is revived, he mentions that his chest really hurts. Adrenaline is what's actually used to restart a heart that's completely stopped.* CursedWithAwesome: Holmes seems to consider his own exceptional perception abilities to be this.-->'''Sim''': What do you see?-->'''Holmes''': ''Everything''. That is my curse.* DangerouslyGenreSavvy:** Moriarty is perfectly aware that Holmes will figure out his plans if left to his own devices, so he leaves red herrings to distract him and lure him into vulnerable positions.** He also correctly figured ahead of time that Irene would want to meet him in a crowded, public area - her favorite restaurant. To solve that, he literally buys out ''the entire crowd'' to leave when Moran taps a glass three times. It's also possible that he poisoned her tea strainer rather than her pot of tea knowing that she'd ask for a fresh pot when she arrived. He may have even, as an extra precaution, bribed the waiting staff to poison everything that Irene asked to be brought to her.** The Cossack sent to kill Simza put protection lining in his coat because he knows she uses throwing knives. He also clips a line to Holmes, presumably to limit his mobility. Or maybe he just realized [[WindowPain they were fighting in front of a closed window]].** Moriarty's tendency to kill pretty much everybody that even has a vague idea of who he is means that Holmes has a very difficult time gathering evidence against him.* DeadpanSnarker: Aside from the snarkers from the first movie, ''Mary Morstan'' of all people has a few wonderfully snark-tastic moments in the sequel.* DealWithTheDevil: The leader of the French Anarchists describes his alliance with Moriarty as this.* DemotedToExtra: Inspector Lestrade gets hit by this. He may not have been one of the most central characters in the first, but he still had a decent amount of scenes and relevance to the plot. In the second movie, he is entirely left out, only briefly appearing at the end with few lines. His sergeant gets about the same amount of screentime, though he had a number of scenes in the original film as well.* DefensiveFeintTrap: Sherlock ensnares Moriarty in one in their climactic [[spoiler:BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind. Sherlock baits Moriarty with the "Sherlock Scan Beatdown" from the first movie, which Moriarty is quite capable of reciprocating, at which it shows how Sherlock truly would have no chance with his hobbling shoulder injury that Moriarty dealt him earlier in the movie... except the "inevitable" conclusion that they both drew did not take into account that Sherlock wasn't actually planning that, but to [[TakingYouWithMe take both of them for a dive off the Reichenbach Falls]].]]* {{Determinator}}: The Cossack goes through a hell of a lot of punishment without slowing down.* DidntSeeThatComing: For Holmes, there are two instances: one is being tricked by Moriarty into thinking that the bomb was the opera house where DonGiovanni was playing, only realizing he's been fooled when he sees Moriarty in a private viewing box. For Moriarty, [[spoiler:that Holmes noticed his red notebook during the Heilbronn torture scene and snatched it from him]].** Becomes an ObligatoryJoke when Holmes is fighting the Cossack, who attaches a line to Holmes during their struggle. Holmes only discovers this ''after'' throwing the Cossack out the window and promptly quips to Sim, "Didn't see this in the cards, did you?" before being yanked out after him. To start the fight that even happened, he plans a very elaborate series of moves to take down the Cossack without much trouble. Except he's taken by surprise when Simza launches a few throwing knives at the Cossack three moves into Holmes's planned takedown.** And the finale [[spoiler: when Moriarty doesn't take into account that Holmes was willing to sacrifice himself just to beat him.]]* DisguisedInDrag: PlayedForLaughs with Holmes on the train. His is done so poorly, that he doesn't seem to have even bothered to shave... though at least he is wearing lipstick.* DisneyDeath: [[spoiler:Holmes.]]* DisneyVillainDeath: [[spoiler: Moriarty.]]* DoubleEntendre: Holmes attributes Watson's weight gain since they last met to him 'noshing on Mary's muffins', and dislikes riding horses because he doesn't like the thought of something with a mind of its own between his legs...* DoYouTrustMe: Mary naturally replies, "No."-->'''Sherlock Holmes:''' Well then I shall have to...do something about that. ''[throws her off the train]''[[note]]He timed it perfectly, though; he tossed her into a river where Mycroft was waiting with a boat to pick her up, and it was to keep Moriarty's troops from shooting her[[/note]]* TheDragon: Sebastian Moran, to Moriarty.* DramaticIrony: Holmes notes that Moriarty can spark a world war with a lone gunman and the right target. This is exactly how World War I started.* DramaticGunCock: After making Holmes toss aside his revolver, Moran invites him to take an automatic C96 Mauser pistol and even insert a magazine. Holmes notes that the latter does make loading easier, but you'd still need to retract the bolt--[[QuickDraw Moran has his pistol cocked and aimed at Holmes' head in an instant.]]-->'''Moran:''' Easier done than said.* DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler: Irene, unfortunately.]]* DyingAlone: Watson reveals one of the reasons he wants to get married so badly is to avoid this.* TheEndOrIsIt: [[spoiler:A Not Quite Dead Sherlock sneaks into the room where Watson is typing the story of their adventure and types a question mark after "THE END" in Watson's manuscript.]]* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Moriarty's "dismissal" of Irene Adler from his services.* EveryoneKnowsMorse: Watson apparently, as Holmes has him send a telegram. He must have learned it in the service.* EverythingsLouderWithBagpipes: Watson is so drunk arriving at the wedding that Holmes has to signal the bagpipe players to start playing in order to wake him up.* EvilCannotComprehendGood: This is the deciding factor in the [[spoiler: 'duel' between Holmes and Moriarty at the end; Moriarty thinks, like Holmes, that he is guaranteed to win the fight because of Holmes' injury, but he fails to take into account the idea of Holmes sacrificing himself to kill Moriarty. Holmes even explicitly says that he'd be willing to do a HeroicSacrifice if it completely assured Moriarty's destruction as well, and Moriarty still doesn't factor it in]].* EvilCounterpart:** Moriarty to Holmes, with a mind to match his, fighting skills to the same, and he's even capable of [[spoiler:the same Sherlock Scan Holmes uses to defeat opponents]].** [[TheDragon Moran]] is an EvilCounterpart to Watson. They're both reliable, competent, neat sidekicks, former military men (who fought in the same war), and they are both excellent marksmen. They both have a remarkable amount of devotion to Moriarty and Holmes, respectively.* ExactlyWhatIAimedAt: Holmes chastises Watson for not taking the opportunity to shoot the redcoat who's keeping them pinned down with machinegun fire when his gun jams, not realising that the mook Watson shot instead was carrying a primed grenade -- which he has now lost track of.* ExactWords: [[spoiler: Rene's letter includes a sketched self-portrait and urges Sim to memorize his face, because she will never see it again. Much later, it's revealed that Rene has undergone MagicPlasticSurgery in order to impersonate one of the delegates at the peace conference.]]* FailedAttemptAtDrama: "Perhaps you've heard of me. My name is Sherlock Ho_(bomb goes off) Ho-Holmes." Steps outside vault to find his would-be client has done a bunk.* FairPlayWhodunit: One clue is given to ''us'', but not for Holmes. In a nutshell, Moriarty is going to see ''DonGiovanni'', but at the book signing, pay attention to the dialogue between him and Moran: he apologetically tells Moran that he won't need his ticket, to which Moran says, "It's a shame. I was looking forward to Don Giovanni." We see Moran backstage at the play later, getting up when Holmes, Watson and Simza come in. He is holding what looks like a concealed rifle. Turns out he isn't seeing the play not because he'll be backstage, but because he'll be on the rooftop to shoot a firearms factory owner who is attending a business dinner at a hotel across the plaza. Other clues and plot points, such as [[spoiler:the key to the encoding of Moriarty's notebook, and Holmes' first attempt to pickpocket it from him while disguised as the valet]], are also displayed for our benefit well before they pay off.* FalseFlagOperation: How Moriarty puts France and Germany on the brink of war.* FanDisservice: Naked Stephen Fry.** Also, half-naked, rather built Robert Downey Jr... wearing [[DisguisedInDrag badly applied blue eyeshadow and lipstick]].* FauxAffablyEvil: Moriarty. He drops the act entirely during the interrogation scene.* FieryCoverup: Meinhard's murder midway through the film. We see Holmes, Watson and Simza reach the banquet room moments after the bomb goes off and kills a group of assembled businessmen. But as he looks at the corpses, Holmes looks at Alfred Meinhard's and notices that he has what looks like a bullet wound in his head. He then looks up and notices a bullet hole in the glass, allowing the three to pinpoint the location of the shooter's perch. Naturally, they focus on the shooting victim rather than the collateral victims of the bomb. This bomb does two things: one, to hide that there was a shooting and only one intended victim; and two, to make it look like the work of anarchists.* FightingFingerprint: The ImprobableAimingSkills Moran demonstrates during the Meinhard assassination plays a key role in Holmes and Watson figuring out who he is.* ForegoneConclusion: [[spoiler: The camera gives us a really nice view of Reichenbach Falls in the establishing shot of the castle just before the climax of the movie. Anyone familiar with Holmes mythology knows where they were headed.]]** Mycroft makes a quick mention of a peace summit at Reichenbach very early on in the film, right before Watson's stag party.* {{Foreshadowing}}:** When Holmes [[spoiler:first officially meets Moriarty, he mentions that if it one-hundred percent assured Moriarty's destruction, he would gladly accept his own. He follows this through to the extreme at the end when he does a suicide leap off a cliff and [[TakingYouWithMe takes Moriarty with him]]]].*** Before that, when showing Watson his [[StringTheory web of conspiracy]], Holmes told him [[spoiler:he'd give his life to see Moriarty's demise]].** Also, the fate of the Parisian bomb-maker, who [[spoiler: commits suicide in an attempt to save his loved ones from Moriarty]].** The wax figure of Holmes may be this for the potential sequel -- in "The Adventure of the Empty House" he used one as a bait for Moran.** [[spoiler: Holmes warns Irene at the beginning that if she leaves his side, she'll be dead within the hour. An hour later, she goes to see Moriarty...]]* FreezeFrameBonus: Pay close attention: when Moriarty first joins Holmes on the balcony, Holmes [[spoiler: is taking a puff on Mycroft's oxygen device. He quickly palms it, distracts Moriarty by having him set up their chess game, and then slips it back into his pocket.]]* FromBadToWorse: Near the end of the film, [[spoiler:while Holmes and Moriarty fight in their minds, Holmes starts by noting that Moriarty has a serious advantage from Holmes' disabled arm. Shortly thereafter, he thinks something we have never hear him say the like of in any fight in the two films: "Arsenal running low." Moriarty "kills" him seconds later. He is both physically and mentally incapable of beating Moriarty in hand-to-hand, and they both know Moriarty's going to try to kill him.]]* GameBreakingInjury: The way the final fight plays out is almost entirely determined by the fact that [[spoiler: Holmes is still recovering from having a meat hook stabbed through his shoulder]], and Moriarty has zero qualms about exploiting it.* GeniusBruiser: Moriarty was a boxing champion at Cambridge. His fighting style is very aggressive, described by Sherlock as "feral, but experienced". * GenreBlindness: Irene, [[spoiler:despite knowing very well that Moriarty doesn't like to leave loose ends, still works for him and knows that he'd kill her the moment he let her go. The point where this comes in is that while she's GenreSavvy enough to ask for a different pot of tea when she sees one setting at the table, she doesn't think twice about the '''second''' pot. Or simply not drinking tea. Or eating anything at the table.]]* GilliganCut: Midway through the movie, when Holmes, Watson, Simza and the gypsies are preparing to travel to Heilbronn:-->'''Madame Simza Heron:''' ''[showing Holmes and Watson their horses, to Watson]'' The black one is yours. The grey one is mine. ''[to Holmes]'' And this is for you.-->'''Sherlock Holmes:''' ''[clears his throat, uncertain]'' Ah, hm, right! Where are the wagons?-->'''Madame Simza Heron:''' The wagon is too slow. Can�t you ride?-->'''Dr. John Watson:''' ''[grimaces]'' It�s not that he can�t ride... How is it you put it, Holmes?-->'''Sherlock Holmes:''' They're dangerous at both ends and crafty in the middle. [[DoubleEntendre Why would I want anything with a mind of its own bobbing about between my legs?]] Then I should require a bicycle, thank you very much. It�s 1891! Could have chartered a balloon! ''[He stalks off; Watson turns to Sim]''-->'''Dr. John Watson:''' How can we make this more manageable?-->''[Cuts to the group riding their horses through the woods, followed a few seconds later by Holmes - who is trotting on a little pony!]''-->'''Sherlock Holmes:''' Where's the fire?** There's also one earlier in the film when Holmes warns Watson against dancing with the gypsies, saying, "You know what happens when you dance." Cuts to Watson doing a particularly unusual jig with Simza as Holmes looks on and downs a bottle of hooch.* GoKartingWithBowser: While Simza and Watson try to stop the threat at the peace summit, Holmes and Moriarty play a round of blitz chess, although they also talk aloud about the more real-life version of it they're playing with the participants and events inside. * GoodOldFisticuffs: [[spoiler:Moriarty has a more standard boxing style compared to Holmes' esoteric fighting skills. Holmes describes it as "feral", due to the fact that Moriarty was a bit out of practice at the beginning of the fight, but still good enough to get the job done, as Holmes was crippled and on the mend while Moriarty was fresh and unscathed. As the fight wears on, Moriarty's technique refines itself and gains more precision and calculation, prompting Holmes to say "Ah, ''there's'' Cambridge's Boxing Champion!"]]* GoryDiscretionShot: When Ravache puts the gun to his head and kills himself, the moment he pulls the trigger to blow his head off, the scene immediately cuts to the patrons of the tavern upstairs reacting to the sound of the shot. Everyone then goes to grab their weapons and heads to the stairs to investigate the noise. Obviously, seeing his brains splatter everywhere would be too gory, but the shocked look on Simza's face compensates.* AHandfulForAnEye: Holmes steals handfuls of rice and beans from a market stall, and later throws them in the face of Moriarty's thugs during the fight in the pre-credits sequence. Later still, [[spoiler:when he faces down Moriarty, he blows a cloud of tobacco ash into his face.]]* HeelFaceTurn: A very minor example. Although you wouldn't call her an enemy, Mary is most definitely ''not'' a member of Holmes' fan club in the first film, nor at the start of second film (being thrown off a bridge by him, only to be rescued by his brother who has a penchant for nudism doesn't help either). But by the end of the film she trusts Holmes enough to follow his instructions re: Moriarty's vault, effectively becoming his agent.* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Holmes. Knowing he can't beat Moriarty in a straight fight due to his [[GameBreakingInjury crippled arm]], he [[TakeAThirdOption takes a third option]] and chooses to [[TakingYouWithMe take Moriarty with him]]. Perhaps cannier members of the audience knew how that one was going to end, but what matters is that ''Holmes'' thought he was going to die.]]* HesJustHiding: [[spoiler:In-Universe, literally.]]* HistoricalInJoke: According to Holmes, Moriarty was behind the Mayerling incident, in which an heir to the throne of Austria Hungary apparently murdered his mistress, then killed himself. Since the incident first occurred, and its reference on Holmes's conspiracy web, there have been multiple alternate theories advanced, including that the two were murdered as part of a plot to cause a European War.** Mycroft with regards to the automobile. "In the future there will be one of those machines in every town in Europe."* HowDareYouDieOnMe: [[spoiler: Watson to Holmes]] while on the wagon train upon escaping Heilbronn.* ICallItVera: "Time to introduce [[{{BFG}} Little Hansel]]", an artillery cannon. Believe it or not, it's a real cannon that dates back to that era. {{O|verlyLongName}}fficially, it's a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bertha_%28howitzer%29 L/12 42-cm Type M-Ger�t 14 Kurze Marine-Kanone]], but most people just called it "Big Bertha".* IHaveYourWife:** Moriarty uses this to force Claude Ravache, the leader of the anarchists to follow his orders, which apparently, as part of Moriarty's "no loose ends" deal, include the bit where he shoots himself in the head upon finishing his job and getting questioned by Holmes.*** However, just as well, Moriarty probably has had Ravache's family killed** Watson gets involved in the plot because of this. Holmes tells Moriarty that Watson is not part of the game, Moriarty announces his plans to [[AndYourLittleDogToo kill Watson and Mary anyway]]. It is averted, however, in that Moriarty '''expects''' Holmes to rescue Mary and John, it is one of many diversions Moriarty uses to keep Holmes, the only man who could stop him, busy.* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: Subverted. The gun battle in the factory turns into this due to the [[JustifiedTrope impractically short ranges, plenty of metallic objects for cover and miserable visibility]], but while in the open, only Holmes, Watson, Simza, and one other gypsy get away (albeit with Watson being grazed by Moran and Holmes having his bad arm) while the rest of the Gypsies are mowed down like bowling pins.* ImprovisedWeapon: Holmes is as ever the CombatPragmatist, but his throwing a rooster at a knife-wielding Cossack is surely worthy of mention.* IndyPloy: [[spoiler:At their final confrontation, both Holmes and Moriarty mentally predict how their battle will end, with both concluding that Moriarty will be the winner. Holmes then takes the next best plan and throws the both of them off the cliff. However, subverted in the end when it is revealed that Holmes had prepared for that possibility.]]* InvoluntaryCharityDonation: [[spoiler:The assets seized from Moriarty by the police are used to make an anonymous donation to the Widows and Orphans of War fund.]]* ItsPersonal: [[spoiler:In their first face to face meeting, Moriarty reveals he killed Irene and Watson is next.]] Holmes goes from being almost giddy about his rivalry with Moriarty to being much more withdrawn, showing some Tranquil Fury, and decides that Moriarty needs to be stopped. No matter the cost.* JustBetweenYouAndMe* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Moran slips away after killing Sim's brother.]] This is consistent with "The Final Problem," as [[spoiler:Moran still being at large was the main reason Holmes had to fake his death]].* KillAndReplace: [[spoiler:How Moriarty plans to smuggle an assassin into the peace conference.]]* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:Irene and Moriarty.]]* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Moriarty tells Holmes, "Let's not waste any more of each other's time. We both know how this ends." As do any viewers who have read "The Final Problem."* MagicPlasticSurgery: [[spoiler: Sim's brother is made to look like one of the ambassadors as part of the peace summit plot. The "magic" part is averted, though, in that when trying to identify him, Sim and Watson look for exactly the sort of telltale clues that this trope usually ignores. It also probably helps that the guest list uses sketched portraits, not photographs, so Renee's disguise doesn't have to be a perfect replication.]]* MoreDakka: Including a gatling gun and an early LMG.* MotherRussiaMakesYouStrong: The Cossack, the [[LeParkour acrobatic]] {{Determinator}} assassin.* NakedPeopleAreFunny: Mycroft apparently has a habit of wandering around his home stark naked. He has a cheerful conversation with a mortified Mary when she runs into him like this, while his servants, who obviously are used to this, don't even bat an eye when they come in to serve breakfast.* NeatFreak: Mycroft is implied to be this. Doesn't like to shake hands, barely goes anywhere other than his home and office, carries [[ChekhovsGun a personal supply of oxygen]]... even his habit of walking around his house naked could be a reference to SuperOCD sufferer [[TheAviator Howard Hughes]].* NeutralFemale: Averted. When Watson pins an assassin, Mary makes sure to grab his gun and hold it against his head.* NeverFoundTheBody: [[spoiler:Holmes and Moriarty. In the case of Holmes, he is revealed to be alive at the end of the film.]]* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Happens during Holmes and Simza's fight with the Cossack, when Simza pushes a pipe into the assassin causing him to fall out a window. She is unaware that there is a rope on the end of the pipe attached to Holmes's belt, and as a result, Holmes is pulled out the window a few seconds later. Similarly, Simza putting several throwing knives into him (for which he wore a protective undershirt) before Holmes can carry out his planned takedown forces Holmes to think on the fly when the Cossack recovers, ultimately making the whole fight a lot more drawn out and dangerous than it had to be.* NiceJobFixingItVillain: When Holmes, Watson, and Simza are trapped in the weapons factory, the guards try to take them out with an artillery cannon. However, they only succeed in blowing a hole in the wall that was keeping the trio inside, allowing them to escape into the forest. Had they closed in with small arms, they would have won.* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: [[spoiler: Even though it never actually takes place except in Holmes' and Moriarty's minds,]] the final confrontation definitely qualifies. It's not so much a fistfight as an excuse for [[spoiler: Moriarty to repeatedly and brutally whale on Holmes' wounded shoulder]].* NotSoStoic: [[spoiler: Moriarty during his chilling torture of Holmes. He's clearly ''enjoying'' it.]]** Holmes ''himself'', during the same scene. Seeing the guy who has kept an almost-perfect poker face over the course of two movies - in the face of physical punishment, worry that he's losing his best friend to marriage, Watson almost being blown up by Blackwood's booby trap, [[spoiler: the news of Irene's murder being sprung on him, Moriarty's threats toward Watson and Mary, Ravache putting a gun to his own head and pulling the trigger right in front of them, and carnage from a bombing that he could have prevented - break down and howl in agony while Moriarty tortures him is incredibly disturbing.]]*** Actually, Holmes may have been playing this up a bit; he clearly possesses enough presence of mind to secretly [[spoiler: switch out the red ledger, and he may have been acting in an effort to get Moriarty to think he was hurt worse than he really was. Appearing weak is a common feint.]]*** There wasn't much need to play it up, [[spoiler: considering his heart stops not long afterwards.]] The not-so-stoic moment just makes his presence of mind that much more impressive.* OhCrap: Moran's reaction when Watson reveals [[spoiler:he's been hiding behind a giant cannon]] aimed directly at his perch is a rather hilarious "That's not fair!"** Shortly before Watson has one when he holds up his cap to the small gap between the gun's barrel and shield, only for Moran to instantly put a bullet through it.** Moriarty when he realizes that Holmes [[spoiler:spotted (and subsequently replaced) his little red ledger book with one that is a zoetrope that says, ''Be Careful What You [[{{Pun}} Fish]] For!'']]** Moriarty has this kind of reaction when Holmes asks, "Does ''The Art of Domestic Horticulture'' mean anything to you?" and we see that Moriarty also neglects to care for the plants in his windowsill.** Watson has one when his winnings get scattered across the floor due to Holmes and Simza's fight with the Cossack interrupting them and he realizes he's surrounded by a bunch of opportunistic gamblers.-->'''John Watson:''' Now wait a minute. ''[cue an all-out brawl]''** Watson has another when he knocks out the head gypsy for taking his scarf, to look around him and see a whole bunch of knife carrying angry gypsies.** The assassin on the train who gets shot by Watson has just enough time to realize that he can't find the primed grenade he dropped in the satchel full of them and look at his comrade before the whole thing blows up and the train breaks in half.** Irene has a very subtle one when she realizes [[spoiler:Moriarty hired ''everyone'' in the restaurant they were meeting in, and makes them leave on a code signal, meaning their public meeting is actually a lot more private than she expected]].** Watson gets one after hearing the usually nigh-omniscient Holmes utter the words "I was mistaken."** One for the audience members who have read the original stories when [[{{Foreshadowing}} Mycroft casually mentions going to a summit at Reichenbach early in the movie.]] Yeah, this isn't going to end well.** Another for the audience occurs after the "two-pronged" chess match between Holmes and Moriarty. [[spoiler:After Moriarty threatens that he'll ''endeavour to find the most creative of endings'' for Watson and Mary after he deals with him, Sherlock begins to analyse the upcoming fight between him and his adversary. While he takes his injury into account, the predictions progress as normal. Until, that is, Moriarty's voice enters the fray.]]--> [[spoiler:'''Moriarty:''' Come, now. Do you ''really'' think you're the only one who can play this game?]]** [[spoiler: Holmes realizing how insane Moriarty is, when he impales him with a hook and proceeds to twist it around while singing to an operatic piece.]]* OnlyAFleshWound: Moran [[spoiler:got shot ''in the side,'' yet seems pretty fine just a few days later when he kills Rene at the peace conference]].** Just about every wound in the film is brushed off, up to and including having a building collapsed on you - but [[spoiler:Holmes's shoulder wound]] takes a serious toll on him, for plot reasons.* OutOfCharacterAlert: After being separated during the train sequence, Mary is understandably confused when Watson sends her a letter saying he doesn't miss her and hopes to never see her again. Mycroft tells her the truth can be found from a code that he and Sherlock devised as children, wherein a notice would be taken at face value or as the complete opposite depending on if the first letter of the note was a consonant (face value) or a vowel (opposite); in this case, Watson's letter is of course the complete opposite of what he means. The letter of course, has been coded this way just in case someone affiliated with Moriarty or his criminal organization happens to intercept it.* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: According to Watson, it takes a very serious crisis to make Mycroft Holmes miss an appointment at the Diogenes Club, especially when his favorite dish, potted shrimp, is on the menu that night.** Cool-headed Irene Adler is visibly struggling to control her fear when she realises Moriarty has outmaneuvered her at the restaurant.* OutOfFocus: While he was never really a central character to begin with, Inspector Lestrade is almost entirely absent in this movie. The only time we see him at all is at the very end of the movie, and even then, he's only briefly seen a couple of times with almost no lines.* LeParkour: The Cossack assassin uses agility to chase and fight Holmes and Simza. Real Cossacks, even today, are good at acrobatics.* PaperThinDisguise: Even Holmes has to agree that dressing up (poorly) as a woman for the train fight is not his best disguise, but he had to make do with what little time he had to prepare.* PietaPlagiarism: Sim [[spoiler:and her brother after he collapses from Moran's poisoned dart]].* PoliticallyCorrectHistory:** Holmes and Watson share a dance together and get nothing more than a few odd looks in an age where homosexuality was illegal.*** To be fair at the time, two male friends sharing a dance, would be considered more akin to a joke, than a statement of their sexuality. Its recently with the fact its now legal, and quite often encouraged, that we attribute any sign of affection or companionship as a sign of this.** Mycroft's casual nudity in front of Mary, something which the servants are so accustomed to that they don't bat an eye, is a lot more shocking when you consider just how much more strict Victorian England was about nudity and proper behavior around women.* ProperlyParanoid:** Irene reasonably expects that she might suffer a sudden case of YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness when meeting with Moriarty. She meets him in a crowded restaurant and has her drink switched for a fresh pot. [[spoiler:She wasn't paranoid enough, though, because Moriarty had the entire restaurant in his pocket.]]** When Watson and Mary depart for the honeymoon (the first time), Watson is clearly suspicious of being ambushed after seeing soldiers loading equipment onto the train.* RealityEnsues: [[spoiler:What happens when you put Irene up against a guy who is about as smart as Holmes, but with no moral compunctions or feelings for her? He outwits and kills her. That's it.]]** [[spoiler:The final fight between Holmes and Moriarty starts off with a SherlockScan fight plan, handily exploiting Moriarty's rage over having his entire empire undone... only to be interrupted by Moriarty doing the very same thing. And Holmes realizes it. "Oh come now, you aren't the only one who can play that game..." Both come to the same conclusion, with Moriarty mercilessly whaling on Sherlock's injured shoulder despite Sherlock's best efforts to counter, and eventually tossing him over into the waterfall below. [[TakingYouWithMe "Unless..."]]]]* RedOniBlueOni: Moriarty is blue. He lives in the dry, respected worlds of academia, politics and business. His servants are {{German|icEfficiency}}s. Holmes, on the other hand, is manic, full of energy, always experimenting and improvising, and spends his time getting into hijinks. He allies himself with a pack of unruly Romani, although that's because Simza's brother has ties to Moriarty.* RefugeInAudacity: An in-universe example. The car Holmes uses (and the great false beard that he wears) is 'so overt it's covert', especially when Holmes thinks Moriarty has men watching him.* RevealingCoverup: Moriarty blows up a room full of people to cover up the assassination of an important businessman. * RunOrDie: After saving Holmes and escaping the tower, Holmes, Watson and the gypsies are forced to flee on foot from the train yard with Moran and his men hot on their heels. Gets worse when when they pull out ''an anti-tank cannon'' to fire on them.* SacrificialLion: [[spoiler: Irene. She is built up to be an extremely intelligent and capable opponent for Holmes in the first movie, bordering on his equal. The second film shows how easily Moriarty has her killed, so her death serves to establish Moriarty as a credible threat (and possibly a superior opponent) to Holmes.]]* ScryVsScry: Holmes's usual BulletTime battle analysis monologue is interrupted by Moriarty, who is ''also'' capable of this and counters his moves to the point of proving Holmes couldn't win a straight fight. Of course, [[spoiler:Holmes doesn't fight fair. He fights ''smart.'']]* SelfStitching: There's a brief shot of Watson stitching up his own side after a particularly harrowing chase scene.* SerialKillingsSpecificTarget: Moriarty bombs an entire hotel full of industrialists in order to obfuscate Moran's murder of one specific delegate.* ShaggyDogStory: Moriarty's primary plan is to try and start UsefulNotes/WorldWarI. As Moriarty lampshades (and the audience is well aware), Holmes has embarked on a futile endeavor: war will come, whether on Moriarty's schedule or of its own accord. Oddly enough, the first World War did not start between France and Germany, although they played a larger role in [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII the second one]].** However, as Moriarty soon learns, stopping the war is not Holmes' objective. His objective is to foil Moriarty, and he quite thoroughly accomplishes that.* ShoePhone: Moran has a poison dart gun concealed inside his walking-stick, which he uses when he needs to quietly kill someone in public or a crowded place, as first shown when he uses it to kill Dr. Hoffmanstahl after Holmes thwarts the explosion that was originally intended to be used to kill him. ** Rather appropriate for Watson's foil - Watson himself has a sword hidden in ''his'' walking-stick.* ShotToTheHeart: Holmes invents an epi-pen. [[spoiler:Watson later uses it to revive him after his heart stops from blood loss.]]* ShoutOut:** Moriarty plans to [[spoiler:start UsefulNotes/WorldWarI and profit off weapons sales, much like [[Film/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen the expy of Moriarty]]]].** Mycroft's ([[spoiler: and Sherlock's]]) oxygen device is basically a steampunk version of the ''Film/JamesBond'' rebreather gadget from ''Film/{{Thunderball}}'', continuing the long fanon tradition of him being the head of British Intelligence (a idea that has in [[Film/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen some cases]] gone as far as to saying he is the originator of the position of '''M'''.)** Holmes' make-up during the scene on the train to Brighton, blue eyeshadow and smeared red lipstick, mimics The Joker's facepaint from ''Film/TheDarkKnight''. This is especially funny since RDJ plays the title character in ''Film/IronMan'', which has a FandomRivalry with ''Film/TheDarkKnightSaga'' fans.** The final confrontation between Holmes and Moriarty plays out very similarly to a scene in ''Film/{{Hero}}'': [[spoiler:They have a BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind, with both of them using AwesomenessByAnalysis to calculate each other's strategies and the most likely outcome of the fight, similar to how Nameless and Long Sky 'fought' each other.]]** Watson [[spoiler:uses an adrenaline shot to revive Holmes after his heart stops]], reminiscent of Uma Thurman overdosing and getting revived in ''Film/PulpFiction'' in the same way.** Moriarty's torture of choice is [[spoiler:[[Film/TheLastKingOfScotland hanging by hooks through the chest]]]].** Watson quotes ''Theatre/HenryV'': "Once more unto the breach."** Morricone's theme from ''Film/TwoMulesForSisterSara'' plays when Holmes is riding the pony.* SkywardScream: A variant is done by Sim, [[spoiler: after her poisoned brother dies in her arms.]]* SmartPeoplePlayChess: Holmes and Moriarty play a game, the winning gambit echoing the events happening elsewhere that the two have set in motion. [[spoiler:They finish up the game without the board entirely, just talking to each other, and Holmes wins, foreshadowing the way they'll fight in their minds.]]* TheSociopath / {{Narcissist}}: Moriarty, [[BerserkButton much to his chagrin]].* SoftWater: [[spoiler:Falling hundreds of feet into a lake will not break your fall. At terminal velocity, hitting water would be only slightly better than hitting concrete. However, the water tension is broken by the waterfall; riding the stream down would severely soften the landing of moving water.]]** [[spoiler:Holmes might have maneuvered Moriarty into hitting the water first.]]** Played straighter during the train scene. Regardless of how "perfectly timed" it was, Mary came out remarkably unscathed for someone who feel at least fifty feet into a river out of a speeding train. * SoundtrackDissonance: Moriarty plays (and sings along with) a cheery, innocuous little Schubert tune while [[spoiler: dangling Holmes from the ceiling by a meat hook impaled in his shoulder]]. "Die Forelle" may never be quite the same.* StolenMacGuffinReveal: [[spoiler:Regarding Moriarty's red notebook.]]* StringTheory: Holmes constructs a massive string spider-web in Watson's old rooms, with the various threads wrapped around a nail stuck into a photo of Professor Moriarty.* SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome: [[spoiler:Irene Adler]] is killed off before the opening titles to make it clear how dangerous Moriarty is.* SwissBankAccount: Heavily implied to be where Moriarty hides his many assets. He claims that he's rather fond of Switzerland, since they know how to respect a man's privacy there, especially when he has a large personal fortune.* TakeAThirdOption: [[spoiler:Holmes realizes that if he directly fights Moriarty, he'll lose, and he can't escape. Cue blowing soot in his face and invoking TakingYouWithMe.]]* TakingYouWithMe: [[spoiler:To be expected considering the final battle.]]* TarotTroubles: Holmes takes Sim's Tarot deck and deals out a few cards to go along with his summation of her current predicament before naming his own goal with one final card: The Devil, Moriarty.* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: When Holmes, Watson and Simza flee Moriarty's armed {{Mooks}}. Armed with machine guns, that is. ''Then the cannons come out.''** Moriarty arranges a [[spoiler:bombing in a banquet hall at the Hotel de Triomphe to conceal the fact that Alfred Meinhard, the head of an arms factory, was in fact shot in the head by Colonel Moran on a rooftop on the other side of the square at the precise moment of the blast]]. This serves to disguise the true perpetrator of the attack while ensuring the target is definitely killed.* ThrowAwayGuns: Holmes tucks an extra Mauser Broomhandle into his vest in the arms factory. Justified as his shoulder has been severely injured so he doesn't have two hands to reload with.* TitleDrop: Sorta:--> '''Holmes:''' Has all my instruction been for naught? You still read the official statement and believe it. It's a ''game'', dear man, a shadowy game.** Translations of the movie to some other languages (like Latin American Spanish, for example) turn the above quote into a more direct TitleDrop.* TooDumbToLive: Irene gets dangerously close to this in the opening. Despite Holmes hinting that her package [[spoiler:is a bomb, she sits there and lets the doctor open it with only the slightest bit of trepidation (she did try to leave immediately, but he asked her to stay).]] Unless she was expecting Holmes to drop in, this is a serious lapse in judgement for an otherwise very clever woman.* TragicKeepsake: [[spoiler: Irene's handkerchief]], given to him as a [[KickTheDog dog kicking]] by Moriarty. Subverted in that he disposes of it so it wouldn't cloud his thoughts in pursuing Moriarty with the full range of his intellect.* TranquilFury: Moriarty is in this state throughout the chess match.** Holmes as well. Particularly evident when Moriarty says he'll go after Watson and Mary merely for sport.* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: [[spoiler:The "woman" on the train is Holmes.]]* TheTriple-->'''Holmes:''' We're playing cat and mouse, the Professor and I. {{Cloak and dagger}}.-->'''Watson:''' I thought it was spider and fly. ''(notes that Holmes is drinking formaldehyde)''* {{Understatement}}: When Moriarty sends thugs to kill Watson and Mary as they travel to Brighton for their honeymoon, Holmes attempts to empathise by describing the situation as 'terribly inconvenient.' It doesn't quite do their predicament justice.* TheUnfettered: Moriarty at his core is a genius on the level of Holmes, yet completely lacking in ethics or morals of any kind. He will do anything to achieve his goals and he only allows Holmes to live because he respects him as a fellow genius and doesn't foresee Holmes being a large enough threat to his plans. When Holmes proves otherwise, Moriarty does not hesitate to go after everyone Holmes cares about and makes repeated attempts to kill him, too.* UpToEleven: Almost every trope in the first film is cranked up in the second. * UnitConfusion: The 6-8 miles per hour side-wind in which Moran makes his famous shot. That wind speed would barely move the air, let alone a bullet. The conditions portrayed in the flashback and which would make the shot the nigh-superhuman feat it is described as are far more in line with a 6-8 ''meter per second'' wind speed.* VillainHasAPoint: Moriarty's HannibalLecture about how World War I was inevitable. All he was doing was finding a way to profit off it.* VillainousBreakdown: Moriarty has a subtle one when he realizes that Holmes [[spoiler:has stolen his ledger, decoded it, and used it to dismantle his whole organization]]. It progresses to a much more direct example as [[spoiler:Moriarty screams his brains out as he plummets to his demise, unlike the composed Holmes. Admittedly he has just had burning embers thrown in his eyes so they could be screams of pain]].* VillainousFriendship: Colonel Moran and Professor Moriarty. Although Moran is referred to as a gun-for-hire, he is very loyal - at one point he [[spoiler: vows to kill the heroes after digging Moriarty out of the wreckage of a building]] - and the two of them have plans to go to the opera together.* VillainsOutShopping: Moriarty going to see ''DonGiovanni'', and later feeding pigeons in the park.* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Officially, Holmes can't touch Moriarty since he's a world famous mathematician and author, is a personal friend of the English Prime Minister, and has many business and political connections. A great deal of the plot is Holmes trying to obtain the necessary evidence to implicate him. (Ironically, these are often some of the benefits Holmes himself enjoys.)* WarForFunAndProfit: The foundation of Moriarty's plot. It's actually exactly the same as his plan in ''Film/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen''.* WarIsHell: The chase sequence in Germany seems to evoke this trope, giving a taste of what Moriarty's new weapons would do to Europe.* WeHaveWaysOfMakingYouTalk: Holmes being interrogated by Moriarty.* WhamLine: Just before their final confrontation, Holmes starts in with his usual analysis, imagining how the imminent fistfight with Moriarty will go with an internal monologue. At first it looks like Holmes has predicted a method of beating Moriarty before we cut to the man himself and we hear ''his'' internal monologue that reveals he is just as capable of the technique as Sherlock is.-->'''Moriarty''': ''Come now, did you really think you were the only one capable of playing this game?''** Immediately, Moriarty begins to gain the upper hand in the imagined conversation between the two men as the fight plays out in both their heads.* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: [[spoiler:Colonel Moran shoots Rene with a curare dart, then leaves the party. As far as the viewer knows, he gets away.]] Instead, he is saved as a SequelHook.** Also [[spoiler: the Cossack, to the point of bordering Big Lipped Aligator Moment]].* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: Moriarty could have avoided so many troubles if he had killed Holmes when he met him at the university instead of sadistically toying with him. * WholesomeCrossdresser: Holmes, to get in the train. (The original script had him as a priest, as in the original short story, but Downey Jr. asked to change for crossdressing as it was funnier.)* WickedCultured: Moriarty takes this trope to its logical extreme, torturing Holmes while listening to and singing along with Schubert on a phonograph. Moran also says he really wanted to see ''DonGiovanni'' himself.** Even the {{Mooks}} get in on it, whistling Mozart of all things while ganging up on Holmes in a back alley.* TheWorfEffect: [[spoiler:Irene Adler dies by Moriarty's hand to show how dangerous he is and to up the stakes with Holmes]].* WorfHadTheFlu: [[spoiler:In Sherlock's final fight against Moriarty, he deduces in his SherlockScan "pre-fight" that after a good opening attack he would lose because of his injured shoulder from earlier in the movie. This causes him to TakeAThirdOption]]. * WorthyOpponent: Holmes and Moriarty both emphasize the deep respect they have for each other.** However it's kinda inverted - Holmes himself admits we would be quite happy to beat him.* WouldYouLikeToHearHowTheyDied: A variation; Moriarty tells Holmes that [[spoiler:Irene Adler]] [[BlatantLies was killed by a rare strain of tuberculosis]], but Holmes is reading between the lines and deduces that Moriarty arranged for her to be poisoned.** Bear in mind, Moriarty is telling Holmes what the ''police'' think happened.* WrongGenreSavvy: Moriarty [[spoiler: made the mistake of thinking that Holmes was trying to stop his plans to ignite a world war. As it turns out, Holmes is working against Moriarty, and ONLY him. He knows that he can't stop the plans that Moriarty has set in motion, merely prevent Moriarty from profiting from them, so that's exactly what he does. He doesn't stop the plan, but he does stop his nemesis]].[[/folder]]----

subset: commoncrawl