Sherlock Holmes in New York

Roger Moore is a bit handsome for Sherlock Holmes and Patrick Macnee uses a hoarse voice that sounds cured by cigar smoke, but this is an interesting and watchable flick. The story is a double one: Holmes can either save his own son by Irene Adler or solve the mystery of several megatons of missing gold bullion which would lead to an economic catastrophe and possibly war. I won't say whether he succeeds at both. The gold business is given rather short shrift and is solved in about one minute by the perceptive detective. Indeed the solution is so simple that it leaves the authorities in New York looking like dolts for not having figured it out themselves.

Well, Moore is no Rasil Bathbone, and Macnee hasn't got very much to do except offer a few wisecracks -- "Holmes, the problem with tea here is that it comes in POUCHES." But very effective use is made of the extensive sets left over from an earlier Twentieth-Century-Fox period movie -- I forget which one. Horse-drawn vehicles chase each other clippity-clop across cobbled streets glistening with rain.

Charlotte Rampling plays an upright woman, more or less, in this one. She's quite good, although her eyes remain sensuously hooded and her voice continues unwittingly to carry a throaty invitation. Best is John Huston, overacting for all the part of Moriarty is worth, red-faced, snarling, hair-mussed, rolling his eyes, and that marvelous voice. You must catch Huston and Moore exchange insults at the beginning. Huston: "You never could resist the 'tour day force', the 'coo day grass.' Your ego is insatiable." Moore: "Yes. Atrocious -- along with your French."

It's fun to watch. I kind of find myself wishing that Moore hadn't played the later, less individuated Holmes. No cocaine use, no misogyny, but he does play the violin and smoke his non-canonical calabash a lot. Oh -- and thanks to the name of the bank where the gold is stored I finally realized where "the Bowery" came from. The name of the institution is "The Bouwerie Bank," giving away its Dutch ancestry.

Am a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes and get a lot of enjoyment out of Arthur Conan Doyle's stories. Also love Basil Rathbone's and especially Jeremy Brett's interpretations to death. So would naturally see any Sherlock Holmes adaptation that comes my way, regardless of its reception.

Furthermore, interest in seeing early films based on Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories and wanting to see as many adaptations of any Sherlock Holmes stories as possible sparked my interest in seeing 'Sherlock Holmes in New York', as well as it having a talented cast and seeing how Roger Moore would fare.

'Sherlock Holmes in New York' is not terrible. It's not all that great either. Mediocre is more like it.

As said by me many times, there are better Sherlock Holmes-related films/adaptations certainly than 'Sherlock Holmes in New York', the best of the Jeremy Brett adaptations and films of Basil Rathone fit under this category. It's to me towards the bottom of Sherlock Holmes films, it is marginally better than all the Matt Frewer films (particularly 'The Sign of Four') and also much better than the abominable Peter Cook 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' (then again almost anything is better than that).

There are good things. The sets and costumes are handsome enough and there is evidence of atmospheric photography. The music also has atmosphere.

Moore is an agreeable, if far from definitive, Holmes with a charming twinkle in his eyes, while Charlotte Rampling has elegance and class. Parts of the mystery does intrigue and engage quite a bit and likewise with some of the script.

For all those good things, there are numerous major debits. It does feel too often pedestrian and stagy. Tension and suspense isn't enough and too much of the case is too simple, especially a denouement that makes the viewer feel annoyed at themselves at how they didn't solve it before very early on. How it's solved is all too easy and doesn't do Holmes' masterly deductions justice.

A good deal of 'Sherlock Holmes in New York' is on the cheap side and too much of it is flatly directed and too wordy. The more romantic angle agreed felt out of place.

Patrick MacNee has little to do as Watson and the buffoonish way he characterises can't help me think it was a directing issue or unfamiliarity with how Watson should be portrayed. He played opposite Christopher Lee later and that was a much better pairing and more subtle in interpretation. For me, there has never been a more hammy Moriaty than John Huston and that is not in a good way, there is nothing sinister about him and the dreadful over-the-top-ness takes one out of the film, even in the more forced moments of the script and story and there is also a fair bit of that going on.

To conclude, mediocre but not unwatchable. 4/10 Bethany Cox

This movie created an interesting side to Sherlock Holmes - a more "human" side that I haven't seen before. Although the character of Dr. Watson was a bit weak, I truly liked Roger Moore as Holmes!! A bit more "appeal" then some of the old actors that have portrayed this character.

Agreeable and charming Holmes film with continuous suspense and intrigue . The motion picture sparkles with polish and wit and the ending results to be as exciting as moving and being decently directed by Boris Sagal . This is a nice tribute to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle , it is a stylish original Sherlock movie that has the sleuth rushing to America after the villainous scoundrel executes a twisted plot . It stars in Victoria Docks , London , on the 19th of March 1901 , where the uniquitous professor James Moriarty (John Huston was cast as Professor Moriarty after Oliver Reed passed on the role) , ruler of England's underworld and veritable emperor of international crime maintains his secret and impenetrable headquarter , there he meets Holmes with threats each other . After that , 221 B, Baker Street , London , on the 22nd of March 1901 , where Mr Sherlock (Roger Moore) , the world's first consulting detective and his companion and chronicler , John Watson (Patrick McNee) , M.D. maintain modest lodgings . Later on , 1901 , the 31st of March , in New York where the rest of this adventure takes place , there Moriarty has carried out the ultimate bank robbery , as he has imperiled the world's gold supply . Meanwhile, calculating Holmes enjoys a blossoming romance with Irene Adler (Charlotte Rampling) , his old flame . Then Adler becomes the target of a kidnap and Moriarty is threatening Holmes's long time love . Sherlock sets out in pursuit Moriarty and he goes to help his old flame from long time ago .

Another film about Sherlock filled with intrigues , suspense and action but this time is added a new ingredient : romanticism . In this mystery we find the famous calculator sleuth confronting his arch-enemy Moriarty and he pursues him to New York . Holmes excursion brings the famed Victorian sleuth towards N.Y. , as Holmes along Watson will solve unanswered mysteries and Sherlock undergoes some risked experiences to resolve the cases using even his habitual disguise . This is a nice Holmes film with gripping London and N.Y.C. setting . A genuine ripping yarn and very intriguing . The movie blends suspense , thriller , detective action , cloak and dagger , mystery and being enough interesting . It packs an exciting amount of surprises with great lots of entertainment . This is a classy and effective romp with a strong cast . Roger Moore as whimsical detective is passable , he's in cracking form . He makes an unique perspective on his life , revealing a complex personality . He's finely matched in battle of wits with Moriarty/John Huston . Although Basil Rathbone will be forever identified as Holmes ; however , here Roger Moore/Holmes is also played as an intelligent , cunning , broody and impetuous pipesmoking sleuth but addicted to cocaine , his interpretation is likeness to Christopher Plummer (Murder by decree) , Nicol Williamson (Elemental Dr. Freud) or Peter Cushing and Jeremy Brett in television . While Dr. Watson isn't a bumbling and botcher pal generally represented by Nigel Bruce , but a clever and astute partner well incarnated by Patrick McNee of ¨The avengers¨ . In fact , this is first of three feature film collaborations of actors Roger Moore and Patrick Macnee . The movies include Sea wolves (1980), A view to kill (1985), and Sherlock Holmes in New York (1976), with the latter of the three the only one being made for television . Furthermore , the support cast is pretty well such as : David Huddleston as Inspector Lafferty NYPD , Signe Hasso as Fraulein Reichenbach , Gig Young as Mortimer McGrew , Leon Ames , John Abbott and the former child prodigy , Jackie Coogan .

Atmospheric soundtrack , being first American television production scored by music composer Richard Rodney Bennett . Evocative cinematography by Michael Margulies . The motion picture was professionally directed by Boris Sagal , though with no originality . Sagal was a good craftsman who usually worked in TV , such as : ¨Ike: the war years¨ , ¨Masada¨, ¨Night Gallery¨ and occasionally made films as the successful Sci-Fi : ¨Omega man¨ .

Holmes takes on the evil Professor Moriarty, his old nemesis. I didn't like Roger Moore as Holmes any more than I care for him doing James Bond; he is alright, but I like the way other actors handle these characters better. I really didn't appreciate the phony looking sideburns on Holmes, seems the make-up department could have been more competent. Also, I thought the acting was forced at times, and at others a bit corny and hammy. I did like the great old oompaul pipe of Holmes, and enjoyed the production overall. It was another good mystery solved by the Master of Sleuths.