The full script for Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011), penned by Michele and Kieran Mulroney, showcases a fast-paced, high-stakes narrative focused on the intellectual battle between Holmes and Moriarty. It is structured as a globetrotting chase, balancing action-heavy set-pieces, like the train scene and the climactic chess match at Reichenbach Falls, with the evolving, complex relationship between Holmes and Watson.
If you have downloaded a PDF, do not just read it. Study it. Here are three writing exercises based on the script.
WATSON (whispering) How do you know?
The full final draft (120 pages) is available on (Internet Movie Script Database) and ScriptSlug . For academic use, the Mulroneysβ draft is included in the Writers Guild Foundation Library in Los Angeles.
Warning: Avoid any site asking for credit card information to download a "script." Legitimate educational resources are free or library-based.
One of Guy Ritchieβs trademarks is the pre-visualization of violence. In the script, when Holmes plans how to beat Moriartyβs henchmen on the train, the action lines switch from past tense to conditional future tense .
This simple equation could be used to analyze the engagement of the audience with the film's plot and characters.
"How many are we expecting?" Holmes: "Half a dozen." Watson: "Who are they?" Holmes: "A wedding present from Moriarty. Lovely ceremony by the way, many a tears shed in joy."
