Guy Ritchie: Ranking His Movies From Worst To Best

4. Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows (2011)

Given the success of the first Sherlock Holmes movie, it was inevitable that Guy Ritchie would be offered another. And given that he was probably offered a heck of a lot of money to helm it too, it's not at all surprising that he said "yes." So now our heroes are back, and this time they're trying to thwart Holmes' infamous arch-nemesis, Dr. James Moriarty, as Holmes is locked into a dangerous plot that could bring about the an entire world war. Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows is more of the same, essentially, but it's a far more polished affair all round: Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law are more settled in their roles, whilst the cinematography is plainly wonderful; forget the plot (which is just as convoluted as the last one), this has to be one of the best-looking blockbusters of the last ten years, which is something to be praised in this day and age of very ugly and very expensive films. There will be those who will cite A Game Of Shadows as more inferior film, and in a lot of ways this sequel does fail to live up to the first flick. But there is a sense that Ritchie really tried to step up his game here, to push the boundaries a little further than before and to avoid reprising the exact beats of the previous installment, which is rather admirable. If you can sit back and let yourself be entertained without thinking about what, exactly, is happening, the sheer, beautiful spectacle of it all will likely stun you into submission.