Murder by Decree
|
Our Price: $39.49 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $4.88 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of Murder by Decree
Movie Review: A lot of fun
Summary: 4 Stars
A fun story and the best one involving Jack the Ripper. Plummer plays Holmes with aplomb and is more accessible and likeable than some other portrayals. Mason as Watson is, well, perfect.Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes meets the Sea Hag
Summary: 3 Stars
Remember that old Popeye the Sailor female known as "The Sea Hag"? Well, you will find strong competition in this production among the victims of Jack the Ripper and other women consigned to the Asylum. I suspect that the director thought he would be invoking the realism of life in Whitechapel by showing the effects of poverty on the many faces of poor wretches forced to make their living on the streets of London.
The results are rather disturbing, as we are forced to see some rather revolting images among a few rare moments of normalcy.
Christopher Plummer as Sherlock Holmes is rather understated here, save for a few moments among the representatives of the cult of the Masonic Order, who are blamed for the Ripper murders and the subsequent cover up. James Mason's performance as Watson is something that will grow on you as you see the movie over again over the years, especially his upset at Holmes when Holmes "solves" the problem of Watson's attempts to remove the last pea from his dinner plate.
I think Donald Sutherland played his character rather well, considering that he is a rather tall psychic. The film invokes the era of "London Fog" very well and throws the "revolutionary fire" and is constantly at odds between the Aristocracy and the Poor.
Overall an interesting concept, but poor Dr. Gull is not around to defend himself and reminds me of how the revisionist historians now make famous people look bad after they are deceased.
Produced during the great Holmesian revival, this film is a decent piece of work but the sets are rather dull, and cheap save for the opening of Holmes at the Opera House. Worth seeing but not the best tangent from the Holmes stories ever done.
Movie Review: Should have been better
Summary: 3 Stars
Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper. An outstanding cast. The director of Black Christmas. It shouldn't miss, right?
Murder by Decree misses the bulls eye but there are good things here. Christopher Plummer and James Mason excel as Holmes and Watson and their relationship is joy to watch. The recreating of 1888 London is wonderful and the atmospheric direction by Bob Clark is good. The supporting cast, David Hemmings, Donald Sutherland, Genevive Bujold and Sir John Gielgud do their thing very well.
In the end the story isn't all that interesting. It's fairly devoid of any real suspense and the (completely) overlong conclusion kills all the momentum after a fairly exctiting climax with the Ripper himself. I have to say also that Holmes doesn't look like the mastermind he's supposed to be, with all the clues hand fed to him. Hell, I'd even come to the same conclusion.
Murder by Decree could, and should have, been great with all the talent on board but in the end it's an agreeable time waster. Not much more.
Movie Review: Mediocre by Decree
Summary: 3 Stars
In the long line of Sherlock Movies and TV shows, this is a decent attempt at one of the stories that seems something like "Jack the Ripper". Plummer and Mason are certainly good actors and the sets are fairly decent. The mystery of illicit women being abducted and murdered seems to be swept under the carpet by the government and police. Sherlock Holmes will find out why with his able assistent Dr. Watson. The atmosphere is mainly dark and brooding throughout. Perhaps if I hadn't seen the masterful British series with Jeremy Brett I might be a little more forgiving of this movie today, but I'm afraid it just seemed to drag in parts, and so I give it a good but not great rating. When I first saw this I must admit I was more impressed. But considering what all is available now, it has held up reasonably well. Nothing special about the DVD quality or extras. A good rental for most and purchase for the hardcore Holmes fans.Movie Review: Holmes vs. Conspiracy?
Summary: 3 Stars
Taken separately, Plummer (too emotional) and Mason (too old) are miscast. But, their chemistry is excellent, though not as good as Rathbone and Bruce (fourteen films)or Cushing and Mills ("Masks of Death"). Frank Finlay may just be the best Lestrade. Most of the Holmes vs. Ripper film is quite good. Then comes the ending, with just about every discredited conspiracy theory ever offered thrown into one long-winded emotional speech by Holmes. Did the writers forget that in the stories brother Mycroft Holmes was the government?