Mitch Cullen's novel A Slight Trick of the Mind traces several threads of the life of a 93 year old Sherlock Holmes. It is a punishing novel, dedicated to the exploration of the pain and regret accumulated by a man who has rejected emotional connection as a mode of interaction with the world. I enjoy having read it more than I enjoyed reading it. Mr. Holmes, the new film from Bill Condon starring Sir Ian McKellen and Laura Linney is, according to its title card, adapted from this novel. I suppose, in one sense, that is true. But in a broader sense, this is not an adaptation, but a full scale transformation. A mediocre novel has become a film of exceptional grace and power. A fitting demonstration of the principal players at the heights of their respective powers.
McKellen is one of the finest actors of his generation, and his performance in this movie is worth of the awards attention it is sure to garner (I anticipate an Oscar nomination). There is a moment in the film when McKellen's Holmes warns a child who has just spoken harsh words to his mother to run and make peace that is as powerful as anything I can remember from Sir Ian's film career (and this exchange will surely be his Oscar clip). Normally it is possible to differentiate McKellen's screen performances from his stage performances by looking at what he does with his hands. On screen he tends to be a much more physically restrained presence. But in this film you see gestures and flourishes of the hands that are immediately recognizable from his stage portrayals of Lear and Macbeth. This is a brilliant addition, and it adds a spiritual dimension to the character, himself a kind of king in exile, riddled with regret, that radically enhances the source material.
Linney's performance as a woman of little education and humble social position who has retained her pride and force of spirit is powerful. In a perfect world there would have been time to show us more. But the film is called Mr. Holmes and so our focus tends to remain on McKellen. Make no mistake about it, though, Linney is delivering an absolute masterclass on restraint and decorum. She is an absolute marvel in this picture.
For Condon too, this is a kind of return to form after his time in the world of Twilight. While the two films he helmed for that franchise were the most interesting of the four, it is nice to see him back at the helm of a more significant piece of film making. He is also responsible for the transformation of the source material. I won't get into the changes from the novel that the film makes, but they are all, every single one of them, improvements. As I left the theater I noted that it was the most judicious adaptation since No Country for Old Men, a film that wisely chooses to end where it does instead of following the horrific diatribe that follows the same point in the book. Condon does more here than simply select a more appropriate end point, he fundamentally alters the narrative. The result is almost infinitely more powerful than what Cullen gives you.
And all of this says nothing of the great set design, location scouting, costuming, and other marks where this movie hits home runs. I can't stop gushing, but it was, top to bottom, one of my favorite afternoons at the theater this year.
Rating: 4/4
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