In 2009, British film writer/director Guy Ritchie shocked Sherlock Holmes purists by rebooting the classic crime-fighting character for a new generation of movie fans. Gone were the traditional — and easily parodied — capes, deerstalker hats and pipes. Instead, as embodied by Robert Downey Jr., the famous detective was now part intellectual sleuth, part martial arts action-hero, and he was partnered with a slimmed-down, pumped-up Watson, played by Jude Law. The result? Elementary — a $525 million global box office hit. And now the team are back in the sequel, “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows”, set for release Friday. “It was such a cathartic experience the first time around, and such an enjoyable one, that we all just wanted to do it again,” said Ritchie, who made his mark with the flashy, indie gangster caper “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.”
