It all begins when Professor Moriarty escapes hanging by a daringly composed and executed stratagem. Sherlock Holmes -- Edward Woodward -- and Dr. Watson -- John Hillerman -- are summoned to speak with Mycroft; there's a tremendous leak in the secret service. He wishes Homes to work with Warren Clarke to track down the leak, but Holmes has no time, being occupied with the recapture of Moriarty. Soon, however, the two cases become one, involving another murder, Kim Thompson as a seductive woman who hypnotizes the strongest men, and eventually, a cobra.
There have been many people who portrayed Holmes and Watson, usually with an interesting take on the characters and relationships. Those, however, depended on a decent script, and this TV movie lacks that basic prerequisite. Oh, there are plenty of quotations from the Canon and other performances, but this one adds nothing to any of them. The mysteries that arise are solved by facts revealed after the fact, continuity is poor, and Woodward at 60 is physically ridiculous in the action scenes. Hillerman is decent in his role; Anthony Andrews as Moriarty offers the occasional spark before becoming a melodrama villain, and Peter Jeffrey as Mycroft suggests Stephen Frye without a sense of wit. A thorough waste of time, despite some nice location shooting in London and Cheshire.
There have been many people who portrayed Holmes and Watson, usually with an interesting take on the characters and relationships. Those, however, depended on a decent script, and this TV movie lacks that basic prerequisite. Oh, there are plenty of quotations from the Canon and other performances, but this one adds nothing to any of them. The mysteries that arise are solved by facts revealed after the fact, continuity is poor, and Woodward at 60 is physically ridiculous in the action scenes. Hillerman is decent in his role; Anthony Andrews as Moriarty offers the occasional spark before becoming a melodrama villain, and Peter Jeffrey as Mycroft suggests Stephen Frye without a sense of wit. A thorough waste of time, despite some nice location shooting in London and Cheshire.