Sherlock Assignment: Elementary my dear Watson
1.
Sherlock, himself. He is very self-important and knowledgeable about a
variety of subjects. He uses this to his advantage, not only in finding
said criminals, but also in belittling the fine chaps from Scotland
Yard. This is a strong point to list as his knowledge has not come from
simple study, but by being so obsessed with the intake of information
as a means to an end enables him to ascertain his situation and react
accordingly.
2. Watson( his PTSD to be precise)- Constantly
throughout the film, there is mention of his being in the war and
suffering the consequences of battle. This in fact is not fully alluded
to until the very end as we see Watson shaking thereby not having
nerves of steel. Although this seems to be true, Sherlock is quick to
test this by making him take chase of the cab, abandoning his walking
stick and then at the end even further proving his point(unknowingly)
that everything with Watson is actually psychosomatic. This holds true
with the killer being shot by Watson and Sherlock saying that whoever
made the kill must have had "nerves of steel".
3. Mycroft Holmes-
In my opinion the red herring in this adaptation is SH's brother. From
the very beginning we see he has the ability to manipulate cameras and
call random payphones. With this information, we are led to believe that
he may in fact, be the killer or at least have some connection to it
all. This is thrown in to keep things interesting and keep the viewer
guessing.
4. The murderer keeping victim's phone. Obviously it
rouses suspicion when SH finds the victim's case(which coincidentally is
pink, ie study in pink) and he notices the phone is missing. It gives
the story forward momentum and Sherlock evidence to keep pursuing the
case and for the audience to delve a little deeper into analytical
thought. The murderer keeps the phone as do most killers as a way to get
caught. Most serial killers feel the need to show off their talents(not
unlike our post-modern hero) and no one will know who they are unless
they are eventually caught.
5.The killers smooth talking ability
and manipulative control and Sherlock's arrogance seen throughout the
film. The whole episode revolves around people who apparently killed
themselves. Then we come to the meeting of the cabbie and SH and the
cabbie claims to be a genius along the ranks of the great Sherlock
himself. Sherlock outwits the cabbie and prepares to leave, as the
cabbie does not have a real gun, only a replica lighter. We now see how
the killer was able to convince these people to take their own lives.
If he is able to manipulate a genius as Sherlock, he easily mentally
overpowered the others. As far as the arrogance goes, SH thinks so
highly of his deductive ability that he was willing to die to prove he
was correct. This is why and how the killer was able to do what he did.
He was good at reading people and exposing their weaknesses.
