Murder by Decree (1979)

Holmes Meets Jack

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy Murder by Decree on DVD.

This may be my favorite Sherlock Holmes movie, though Terence Fisher's The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) comes close. Christopher Plummer plays the intrepid detective, with James Mason as an upright Dr. Watson. Directed by Bob Clark (Black Christmas), the film has a vivid period touch, with plenty of clever staging and off-kilter angles, and even some dark humor (such as the scene in which Holmes helps Watson capture the last pea on his plate). But the real selling point of this movie is the villain: Jack the Ripper. An excellent cast helps round things out. For some reason, this terrific movie never seems to have risen above cult status. Anchor Bay's 2003 DVD has gone out of print, but Lionsgate has re-issued it (pretty much intact) in 2009.

With: Christopher Plummer, James Mason, David Hemmings, Susan Clark, Anthony Quayle, John Gielgud, Frank Finlay, Donald Sutherland, Genevi¸ve Bujold, Chris Wiggins, Tedde Moore, Peter Jonfield, Roy Lansford, Catherine Kessler, Ron Pember
Written by: John Hopkins, based on a book by Elwyn Jones, John Lloyd
Directed by: Bob Clark
MPAA Rating: PG
Running Time: 124 minutes
Date: December 16, 2009