Covering much the same ground as From Hell, but in far less sensational style, this finds Sherlock Holmes investigating the Jack the Ripper murders and unearthing a conspiracy that leads to the highest reaches of society.
The casting’s exceptional: Christopher Plummer makes a more humane Holmes than usual, with James Mason a dignified Watson. Only Donald Sutherland, as a fey mystic in a Harpo Marx wig, seems out of key.
The pacing’s on the stately side, but there’s period atmosphere galore and a strong sense of social indignation fuelling the complex plot.
