Mr. Holmes - B

Rated PG, 105 minutes

Ian McKellan as Mr. Holmes

Sherlock Holmes has always been one of the most intriguing, fascinating fictional characters of stage, screen and book, and he's the subject of yet another film, this time a look that hopes to shed some mystery on the man himself. The thoughtful, superbly acted "Mr. Holmes" is a pensive but satisfying revisionist look at the renowned character. It's 1947 and an aging Sherlock Holmes (Ian McKellan) returns from a journey to Japan, where, in search of a rare plant with powerful restorative qualities, he has witnessed the devastation of nuclear warfare. Now, Holmes faces the end of his days in his seaside estate tending to his bees, with only his housekeeper Mrs. Munro (Laura Linney) and her young son, Roger (newcomer Milo Parker) near him. Grappling with the diminishing powers of his mind, Holmes relies upon the boy as he revisits the circumstances of an unsolved case that forced him into retirement, and searches for answers to the mysteries of life and love - before it's too late. Directed by Bill Condon ("The Fifth Estate") and written by Jeffrey Hatcher based on the book "A Slight Trick of the Mind" by Mitch Cullin along with Arthur Conan Doyle's famous sleuth, "Mr. Holmes" provided a shaded look at how humanity and old age can catch up with the best of us. Though by no means an action thriller, it's still worth a look for the excellent performance from McKellan as the elder Holmes, who has such trouble remembering things - especially names of even those close to him - he writes names on his sleeve to remember them (a sly trick if there ever was one and not a bad one, either). Slow-moving and sometimes sad, it's also a moving, revisionist portrait of one of our most memorable characters; in addition to McKellan, Linney is also strong as his long-suffering housekeeper, as is young Parker as his beekeeping assistant. Some of the back-and-forth between story and reality is a little uneven and requires the audience to play close attention to detail, but if you stay with it, especially its touching last act, this is a worthwhile character-driven movie, and expect to see McKellan garnering some accolades for his fine turn in "Mr. Holmes," especially since he grounds the film with an unexpected sense of humanity and humor. As a side note, Sherlock Holmes is in fine display these days, with two current TV shows, a video game and (of all things), a Japanese puppetry version.