Saturday, November 29, 2014

Take a Second Look at Sherlock Holmes - Game of Shadows

I gave Sherlock Holmes Game of Shadows a second look this weekend. Wrapped into the movie is an important theme that was subtle. The movie asks us to consider the evil intentions of powerful individuals to change the landscape of our society. In the case of the movie, Professor Moriarity is a powerful person in London society. He is a wise secretive figure. Admired by many. No one would guess of his secret life hidden in a game of shadows.

Sherlock Holmes understands the complexity of his persona. He has linked him to numerous events that were unsolved. He knows that behind the persona lies an evil man. What I enjoyed about the movie is the geopolitical themes. Professor Moriarty uses the geopolitical theme of Nationalism to distract people from his actions. Very profound. What the movie cleverly challenges us to consider is that powerful individuals can use geopolitical themes to their advantage.

If you think about the logic of Professor Moriarity, he is not that unusual. Powerful individuals can take advantage of geopolitical themes without any worry of loss of life. A quest for control can consume an individual to justify evil as a necessary means to meet their selfish goals. Fast forward to today's geopolitical themes. Many powerful people are profiting from the war on terror, financial disasters in banking, and social policy changes. Are these individuals any different than Professor Moriarity? 

No comments: