I watched this movie on the television the other day. I am a great Sherlock Holmes fan and have read all the stories several times. This film is not bad. You get the usual irritating plot changes and extra characters thrown in but overall they keep to the original story pretty well. Ian Richardson gives a competent if rather weak performance as Holmes but Donald Churchill is dreadful as Watson. Unfortunately he tries to do a Nigel Bruce impression and the result is terrible to watch. There is none of the humour and charm that Nigel Bruce brought to the role; however much you hate his version of Watson. The rest of the cast are pretty competent. Martin Shaw is okay as Sir Henry. I am not sure what Ronald Lacey and Brian Blessed are doing in the movie but Ronald Lacey (one of my favourite actors) is pretty amusing and brings a welcome bit of light relief to a pretty dour movie. I think Stapleton - like Moriarty - is one of the most difficult villains to portray in film because the evil is all hidden. Nicholas Clay is no worse than many others. All in all strictly one for Sherlock Holmes fans I think.
Review of The Hound of the Baskervilles
