Sherlock: Case of Evil is a 2002 Made-for-TV movie focusing on Sherlock Holmes as a young adult in his late 20s. It stars James D'Arcy, Roger Morlidge, Gabrielle Anwar, Vincent D'Onofrio and Richard E. Grant.
As the movie opens, Sherlock is in pursuit of the evil Moriarty and apparently shoots him to death, but his body cannot be found as he falls in a sewer. Holmes gains notoriety with the press and the police for his apparent killing of the evil Moriarty. This accomplishment brings him into the company of Dr. Watson, an early practitioner of autopsies, for the first time. Together, they start an investigation into the murder of several crimelords and become convinced that Moriarty is alive and behind a plot to organize drug dealing. Given that Moriarty is supposedly dead, Holmes finds it hard to convince Inspector Lestrade. Holmes investigation leads him to a beautiful prostitute, who posed as a rich woman to lure Holmes into the plot.
Tropes:
- Attack the Injury: During their fight in the Underground tunnel, Moriarty kicks Holmes in the shoulder he has just been shot in.
- Bar Brawl: Rebecca gets away from Holmes and Watson in The King's Head by accusing them of making an indecent proposal towards her, causing a few chivalric regulars to jump them. By the time they have punched their way clear, Rebecca has made it to the street.
- Blasting It Out of Their Hands: When Moriarty has a pistol pressed against Rebecca's head, Holmes knocks it out of his hand with a throwing knife.
- Boxing Battler: Dr. Watson proves himself quite adept in a Bar Brawl, which he chalks up to having boxed for Cambridge.
- Bulletproof Vest: Moriarty wears body armour beneath his clothes, which is how he fakes his death when Holmes shoots him in the opening scenes of the movie. Holmes discovers this when he later shoots Moriarty with Watson's .45 calibre rifle cane and Moriarty goes down, only to stand up again a few seconds later commenting that he had not been expecting that.
- Calling Card: Moriarty likes to sign his crime with an 'M' concealed during the commission or at the scene, but so subtle that only a genius like Sherlock Holmes will spot it.
- Diamonds in the Buff: During Sherlock's seduction, Anna strips off her Gorgeous Period Dress so she is wearing nothing but a pearl choker.
- Disney Villain Death: After being stabbed by Holmes during their final battle, Moriarty crashes through the clock face of Big Ben and plunges into the Thames River below.
- Faking the Dead: Moriarty is shot and seemingly killed by Holmes in the opening scenes. However, they Never Found the Body and the whole scenario is later revealed to have been orchestrated by Moriarty to allow him to continue his evil scheme unhindered by making the world believe he is dead.
- Fresh Clue: When the police storm Moriarty's warehouse, Holmes finds Moriarty's cigar sitting in an ashtray with undisturbed ash still on the tip, and he knows he hasn't missed him by much.
- Gorgeous Period Dress: Includes several scenes set at high society balls seemingly for no other reason to allow both women and men (including a fine looking Holmes) to be seen in magnificent period outfits.
- Hook Hand: From the distinctive marks left on the victims' necks, Holmes is able to deduce that the West End Killer has a hook in place of his left hand. From the other facts he is able to deduce (such as the killer's height), he is able to identify the killer as Dr. Cruikshank.
- Hotter and Sexier: In this film the great detective is changed from a celibate misogynist into a sexy ladies' man who sleeps with no fewer than four different women over the course of this one hour and a half movie (two of them at the same time).
- Immoral Journalist: Henry Coot is a reporter for a scandal sheet who follows Holmes around: always ready to trumpet his triumphs for a sensational headline, but equally ready to tear him him down if he makes a mistake. He is also always ready to attack the police, much to Lestrade's disgust.
- It Will Never Catch On: In a variation, Dr. Watson keeps predicting things that he believes are on the way out. For example, he predicts that the completion of the Underground will make it unnecessary for anyone to drive in London, and that government will soon make cigarettes illegal.
- Monumental Battle: The final battle between Holmes and Moriarty takes inside the clock tower housing Big Ben. (Shades of The Great Mouse Detective!)
- Never Found the Body: The movie opens with Moriarty being believed dead after he is shot by Sherlock Holmes and falls down an open excavation into the sewer where his body is washed away. Holmes actually uses the phrase word-for-word after he realises that Moriarty is still alive.
- Never Suicide: Upon discovering Dr. Cruikshank hanged and leaving behind a signed confession as a suicide note, Inspector Lestrade is convinced that the case of the West End Killer is solved. Holmes is not convinced as the whole thing seems too pat. Ultimately, Holmes discovers that Cruikshank's 'suicide' is yet another of Moriarty's ploys to through the police off his trail.
- Shout-Out: Contains references to a number of other Sherlock Holmes films:
- Watson mentions a colleague in Vienna with extensive experience in treating drug addiction.
- Holmes and Moriarty have their final showdown inside the clock tower of Big Ben.
- Sick Captive Scam: Holmes does this: pretending to be more incapacitated by Moriarty's drugs than he actually is so he can overpower the two henchmen when they come to inject him with his next dose.
- Sword Cane: The movie opens with a chase where Holmes and Moriarty duel with sword canes. Later Watson presents Holmes with one of his inventions: a rifle cane. Holmes uses this to shoot Moriarty during their second encounter.
- Vomiting Cop: Lestrade pales and gags when he pulls back the sheet and sees that Watson has removed Dr. Cruikshank's brain.
