Top Ten Sherlock Holmes Movies

Sherlock Holmes is back and the game is afoot! Director Guy Ritchie (Snatch, RocknRolla) brings the world's greatest detective back to the big screen in a big way. Robert Downey, Jr. (Iron Man) stars as Sherlock Holmes with Jude Law (The Talented Mr. Ripley, Cold Mountain) at his side as Holmes' trusted sidekick, Dr. Watson and Rachel McAdams (Mean Girls, The Notebook) as Irene Adler, the only woman ever to best Holmes. Scheduled for a Christmas Day 2009 release, Ritchie's hard-hitting, fast-paced Sherlock Holmes looks to introduce the character to a whole new generation.

While an action-packed Sherlock Holmes movie might seem unlikely, to those who've read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's books and short stories, it's anything but. Holmes was an expert short-stick fighter, boxer and swordsman. He was much more than a genius who simply smoked his famous Meerschaum pipe in the parlor of his Victorian apartment in London. He was an active, complex, tortured man whose cocaine addiction nearly destroyed him. Robert Downey, Jr.'s Sherlock Holmes might not be so far off after all.

With over 200 movies, Sherlock Holmes is one of the most popular characters in film history. Here are ten of the best.

1. The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939) - The first of Basil Rathbone's fourteen times as Holmes is the best entry in the series. Answering a plea for help, Holmes sets off for an estate in the isolated moors of Devonshire. Holmes and his loyal, but bumbling sidekick, Dr Watson (Nigel Bruce) become enmeshed in mysterious murders in this classic thriller based on one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most beloved stories.

2. The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) - Writer-Director Billy Wilder (Some Like it Hot, Sunset Blvd.) gives us one of the most human Holmes to date. Not based on a canon story, this new adventure has midgets, monks and the Loch Ness monster. But the real star is Robert Stephen's lonely, melancholy Holmes.

3. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1984) - Even though this is a TV series and not a movie, no list about Sherlock Holmes is complete without mentioning this exquisite Granada series starring Jeremy Brett. No one portrayed Holmes with more soul, more passion, and more finesse than the late great Brett. The entire series is a must-see.

4. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939) - In this early entry in the Rathbone/Bruce series Holmes matches wits with his arch enemy, the diabolical Professor Moriarity. Moriarity sets out not just to best Holmes, but to break him in this missing jewels caper. The plot is less intriguing than the wonderful performances. Dr. Watson fans should love the ending!

5. The Pearl of Death (1944) - Another entry in the Rathbone/Bruce series, this movie has a bit of everything: comedy, horror, adventure and even a patriotic shout out.

6. The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) - More mood than mystery, this Hammer Horror version of the classic tale has Peter Cushing as a tightly wound Holmes. Horror icon, Christopher Lee also stars as Sir Henry Baskerville and Andre Morrell gives us a truer to canon and far less bumbling (thank goodness) Watson.

7. The Scarlet Claw (1944) - Set in the small town of Le Mort Rouge (The Red Death) in Québec, this is another Rathbone/Bruce thriller. Holmes investigates a series of murders and sheep mutilations (seriously!) in this fun, supernatural themed entry.

8. The Might Be Giants (1971) - In modern day New York City George C. Scott plays a man who thinks he's Sherlock Holmes. In this touching, funny film, Scott gives a tour de force performance and Joanne Woodward stands out as the woman truly, madly, deeply in love with him.

9. Murder by Decree (1979) - Christopher Plummer takes on the role of Holmes in this flawed, but still wonderful movie. Plummer's Holmes gives us a rare glimpse beyond the stoic, hard-edged Holmes to the humanity and sympathy underneath. With James Mason as Dr. Watson and Sir John Gielgud and Donald Sutherland rounding out the cast, this one is well worth watching.

10. Without a Clue (1988) - In this under-rated comedy, Michael Caine stars as a drunken, bumbling actor pretending to be the fictional Sherlock Holmes while the real genius of the operation is Dr. Watson, played beautifully by Ben Kingsley. It's fun. It's silly. It's a guilty pleasure worth sharing.