Sherlock Holmes vs Jack the Ripper is a solid gold idea and one that’s shown up a few times on cinema screens. This 1979 film from director Bob Clark and writer John Hopkins imagines the murders already in progress in Whitechapel and the shopkeepers of the area recruiting Holmes to do what the police seemingly cannot and stop the madman. Holmes is played here by Christopher Plummer with James Mason assisting as a very capable Watson. As they investigate further the duo will uncover a conspiracy that stretches into the very highest areas of society.
Clark really hit big in the ‘80s with comedy films like Porky’s and A Christmas Story amongst others but before this had directed low-budget horror classics like Black Christmas and Deathdream in the ‘70s. Between these two periods he made a couple of thrillers, one of which was this Holmes pastiche. It is made with reference to the Rathbone films of a few decades before and in every way resembles a Sherlock Holmes story, just here placing him in the real world of London in 1988. For the most part it’s successful as both drama and thriller, although there’s some elements that don’t work.
Unlike most Holmes stories here Plummer gives us a great detective who is either a passive observer of events or a driver of convenience, getting knocked out or otherwise distracted when solving the case gets close. This is understandably necessary because Clark and Hopkins can’t have Holmes solve a crime that is still a cause of huge debate to this day. This means that the artifice of the insertion of Sherlock into this world is problematic and consequently certain elements of the plot just don’t hang together satisfactorily.
Happily, there’s plenty to recommend, not least Plummer’s performance as a more emotionally engaged and less distant Holmes. Mason is a great Watson and the supporting cast is made up of a parade of very fine actors, including a late film cameo by John Gielgud. The atmosphere, direction, design and score are of a high standard and Clark uses that horror background to stage some effective set pieces. It might not really work as it could, but it’s still a gripping film and worth seeking out.
This Umbrella Entertainment release is sadly as barebones as it gets, with nothing of added value. The print is acceptable, but there’s no retouching or remastering been done and without any extras or additional content it’s difficult to imagine who needs to put down money for this. It might not be an all-time classic, but Murder by Decree deserves at least a little more love than it’s received so far on home releases.
MURDER BY DECREE (1979) / CERT: 12 / DIRECTOR: BOB CLARK / SCREENPLAY: JOHN HOPKINS / STARRING: CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER, JAMES MASON, DAVID HEMMINGS, SUSAN CLARK, ANTHONY QUAYLE, JOHN GIELGUD / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
