Ian McKellen charms in this slow, elegant look at a detective in retirement. In the fan fiction that is Mr. Holmes, the world’s most famous detective, God may be old. But it’s not time to say goodbye. Instead say hello to a new Holmes who is now all heart, mind and soul. Older, wiser, warmer, with much amusing ado made about his distinctive hat.

Ian McKellen has outdone himself with this performance. His Sherlock has depth and heart. Every actor has delivered brilliantly and the director has portrayed Old England quite believably. Great scripts are rare, and this is definitely one of them.

While this Sherlock Holmes relies on memory rather than the elementary powers of deduction to recast the case, it also proves to be a journey where he comes to terms with his own loneliness and mortality.

The proceedings are held together by McKellen’s compelling performance and his deft switches between a spry 70-something and a precarious 93-year-old who looks back on his fame with amusement and regret. In one sequence, Holmes watches a film adaptation of the story that he is attempting to rewrite and concludes that the dramatisation is overdone.