The Sign of Four – Watson with moustache and Holmes in full swing

Alright, so, The Sign of Four. Honestly, feels like a proper old school Sunday film, right? The kind you somehow end up watching on SVT at 14:30, when the rain smacks against your window in Sundsvall and you’ve run out of kexchoklad. I expected the usual detective stuff, but blimey, this one’s got a flavour.

You’ve got Ian Richardson as Sherlock Holmes – sharp as an ice skate, bit posh but not too posh. Who knew he could swagger like that? And then David Healy, playing Watson, with a moustache thicker than a Gothenburg fog. Director Desmond Davis, that chap who did “Clash of the Titans”, gives the whole thing a bit of that British drizzle, y’know? Grey, but somehow homey.

But here’s the thing: It’s got this colonial stuff floating around that’s just… odd. Like, some of it feels a bit off in 2024, sort of “old gubbe tells war stories at midsommar” awkward, but there’s lots to chat about. The treasure hunt part—absolutely classic. Drums, dark shadows, and a chase on the Thames that actually made me spill my svart kaffe.

I remember seeing it at my uncle’s flat in Malmö, the one with that faded Ingmar Bergman poster and strange pelargonier on every shelf. The noise from the street mixing with the eerie music – felt like London and Skåne got mixed together, but in a good way.

Is it perfect? Nah. Sometimes drags like molasses in February, and the dialogue can be stiff as my old teacher’s back. Still, kind of love it – like an odd cousin you keep inviting over. Watson’s jokes are tired, but Richardson can really hold that pipe.

Watch it with an open mind. And maybe a kanelbulle. Or three.

watch the full movie on Mavshack Movies on YouTube

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