In 1890 London, Lord Blackwood seemed to have been hanged for murder but has returned to life. Detective Sherlock Holmes and his friend Dr. John Watson are hired by a secret society to prevent Blackwood's plot to control England.

Guy Ritchie's version of Holmes and Watson, Oscar nominated, sets the tone for future adaptations of the characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Not one for the purists but Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law revel in their action roles.