Hands Of A Murderer - Sherlock Holmes (1990)

The Worst Holmes I've ever seen.

This movie is essentily a bad remake of many of the Basil Rathbone movies.

This movie rips off several ideas from the Rathbone movies.

here are just a few of the rip offs as follows.

-Moriarty escapes being hanged
(Adventures of S. H. where Moriarty is aquited of murder)

-Woman hypnotises lord
(The Woman In Green. this movie even reuses the bowl with water and flowers)

and there are others I am sure.

not only does this movie represent the Rathbone storys in a bad way but the plot and story are boring
even the actors seemed bored of what they are doing.

many of the story elements are just plain dull.

holmes pretends to be dead
just to catch Moriarty placing a reath on his suposed grave stone.

If you want Sherlock Holmes watch a good Rathbone movie
or some of Jermey Brett's early Holmes's work.

anything but this! September 15, 2008

enjoyable mystery

I enjoyed this version of Sherlock Holmes. It was well made and the actors gave excellent portrayals. I would recommend this dvd to all who like good mysteries. August 28, 2008

Good but by no means great

The motivation for this telefilm seems to have been, Let's jump on the Sherlockian bandwagon, shall we? While the storyline is actually pretty good (although definitely taking a cue from the much better spoof "Without a Clue" with Michael Caine and Ben Kingsley), the acting by Edward Woodward as the great Holmes is definitely too over the top; as if making up for this, John Hillerman as Watson plays it down so obviously you almost jump in your seat when he moves an eyebrow.

However, the attention to period details is admirable and Anthony Andrews does not, as does Woodward, overact (well, maybe just a hair). Given the fact that the script was written by Charles Pogue, a well known screenwriter for suspense and thriller movies, this is a disappointing venture into the realm of Sherlock Holmes. In addition, it's pretty obvious the title was chosen in an attempt to hook the viewer; there's absolutely no scene in which hands do any murdering. (Believe me, I'm not giving anything away by saying that).

This TV movie would have been much better if Woodward had not overacted and if the script was given more edge than it has. As it is now, it's a serviceable journeyman work that is OK to watch if you have nothing better lying around. But as mentioned above, "Without a Clue" is a real hoot, and for my money, the best Holmes pastiches are Billy Wilder's "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes" and Bob Clark's excellent "Murder by Decree".

This one's a shade above passable; hence, the three stars. January 14, 2008

"Hands of a Murderer (1990) ... Edward Woodward as Sherlock Holmes ... Koch Vision"

Koch Vision and Storke-Fuisz Productions present "HANDS OF A MURDERER - SHERLOCK HOLMES" (1990) - Edward Woodward & John Hillerman (90 mins/Color) (Dolby Digital) --- Under Stuart Orme (Director), Charles E. Pogue (Screenwriter), Ken Westbury (Cinematographer), Colin Towns (Composer (Music Score), Keith Palmer (Editor), Malcolm Middleton (Production Designer), Sue Yelland (Costume Designer) ------ the cast includes Edward Woodward (Sherlock Holmes), John Hillerman (Dr. John Watson), Anthony Andrews (Prof. Moriarty), Kim Thomson (Sophy DeVere), Peter Jeffrey (Mycroft Holmes), Warren Clarke (Col. Gould), Terence Lodge (Insp. Lestrade), Christopher Fairbank (Stubb), Harry Audley (Richard Farrington), David Sibley (Finch), John Tordoff (Berton), Michael Tezcan (Kasim), Daniel Newman (Wiggins), Faith (Mrs. Hudson), David Neal (Minister) . . . . . . our story has the Master Detective Sherlock Holmes and the Master of Evil Professor Moriarty in a battle of wits once again in this highly classified code book that has military classified top secret information vital to England ... Hillerman (Dr. Watson) is as always right on cue and can steal a scene within the blink of an eye ... Moriarty is about to be executed by hanging when he escapes and then the fun begins ... Peter Jeffrey plays Sherlock's brother Mycroft Holmes, his journal and code book is the meat of the plot line, and it's a good one ... but Holmes fans have no fear, it's all elementary!

SPECIAL FEATURES:
BIOS:
1. Edward Woodward (aka: Edward Albert Arthur Woodward)
Date of birth: 1 June 1930 - Croydon, Surrey, England, UK
Date of death: Still Living
2. John Hillerman (aka: John Benedict Hillerman)
Date of birth: 20 December 1932 - Denison, Texas
Date of death: Still Living
3. Anthony Andrews
Date of birth: 12 January 1948 - London, England, UK
Date of death: Still Living

Great job by Koch Vision for releasing "Hands Of A Murderer - Sherlock Holmes" (1990) - Edward Woodward, the digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more high quality releases from the BBC mini-series film market...order your copy now from Amazon or Koch Vision where there are plenty of copies available on DVD, stay tuned once again for top notch drama mixed with an outstanding cast and director --- just the way we like 'em

Total Time: 90 mins on DVD ~ Koch Vision KOCV6636 ~ (1/10/2006) November 10, 2006

"Who would have thought Her Majesty was his biggest fan?"

Who indeed? This so-called Sherlock Holmes mystery is, quite possibly, the single worst film I have ever seen in my entire life. Blandly written, appallingly over- and underacted, and unmemorably directed, "Hands of a Murderer" features such "delights" as a Watson with no personality whatsoever, a Sherlock who is actually stouter than Mycroft, and a laughable denouement.

I also found strange Moriarty's passionate "romance" with his female associate. Since Moriarty is Holmes' mirror image, so to speak, writers should treat his love interests with the same delicacy they would treat Holmes' -- hinting more than revealing, and involving fascinating, intelligent women, not hammily acted hypnotists. Most incredible of all, though, is the moment when Watson refers to Holmes as "Sherlock" -- something he would never, ever do in any book or film written by anyone who had read the Conan Doyle stories with any attention whatsoever.

Edward Woodward (of whom I still have fond memories as "The Equalizer") plays Sherlock Holmes as though the role is a straitjacket pinching him in uncomfortable places, forcing him to walk and talk strangely.

There is one good thing about this film: it has quadrupled my already vast appreciation for the late, great Jeremy Brett. July 5, 2006

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