Seriously, this must be the worst Holmes production ever made. While Terry Wade plays a nice Dr. Watson, he stands heads and shoulders over what can only politely be called the "performances" of the rest of the cast. That these people were even allowed near a camera is a frightening concept indeed.
Arthur Mann overacts his way through his "Mary Sue" portrayal as Holmes, certainly only cast in the role because he's responsible for the film. His rendition of Holmes playing Paganini is to crudely screech his way through scales on a violin...painfully. To say that his acting is often over the top would be to put it mildly. Our introduction to Holmes was almost enough to make us give up right there. If only we had...
Each subsequent performer we are introduced to is horrid, from a Cardinal who wishes to be Emperor Palpatine, to a killer who is trying to channel Alex from a Clockwork Orange. But none are so unforgivably bad as Richard W. Kerr's Inspector Lestrade. Each moment with him on screen is a pain that viewers are forced to endure. Wooden delivery, mixed with a horribly unbelievable accent and crappy dialog makes for an unforgettable mess.
Where the acting is bad, the script is even worse. Typical fanwank such as referencing the Strand Magazine, and name-dropping Basil Rathbone, flit about in the poorly written script. Compounding matters, the film can't even decide if it should be taken seriously. When the killers find a target has already committed suicide their leader exclaims, "Let's go get cake." Honestly, one of the rare, redeeming qualities of the movie (other than that it mercifully has an end) is the music. However, while every extra in the movie is listed in the credits, no information on the source of the music is given.
The concept of the movie is...interesting.Three or four editing passes on the script, and a very different cast (keeping only Terry Wade as Watson) would've made for a MUCH better film.
This is an hour of your life you will not get back. You have been warned.