Turn on the TV at any given hour and you're liable to see a show that either has CSI in the title, or is a rip-off of CSI. Americans love using state-of-the-art technology to solve grisly crimes. Or at least they like watching other people do it, anyway.

The news that a new Sherlock film is in the works -- directed by Guy Ritchie, no less -- might sound like a flop waiting to happen. Holmes is so old-fashioned! Plus, Mr. Madonna has only made two well-regarded films, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, followed by the disastrous Swept Away and last year's Revolver, which earned scathing reviews and barely got a U.S. release at all. And this is the man in whose hands the legendary Sherlock Holmes franchise has been placed?

But I think it's actually good idea all around. Yes, modern viewers are fascinated by crime-fighting by way of high-tech gadgetry -- but that's exactly why a Sherlock movie, set in Victorian London, might be a hit. It could be a breath of fresh air to see someone solve mysteries without all the futuristic tools. The things that we take for granted as easy clues in crime-solving -- DNA samples, computer analysis, surveillance cameras, etc. -- won't be available to Holmes and Watson in Merry Olde England. Fingerprinting science was in its infancy at the turn of the last century. Nobody wore sunglasses then, either, so there's nothing for Holmes to put on as he makes a wry observation, David Caruso-style.

As for Guy Ritchie, this could be just the thing he needs to restart himself. It's generally assumed that the new film will indeed be set in the proper time period (though Warner Bros. hasn't exactly said so yet). This might cause Ritchie to forgo his modern, MTV-frenetic shooting style. If he's smart, he'll bring his own flavor to it while retaining the elements of the character that fans remember. The 1989 Batman film was definitely a Tim Burton project, but it felt faithful to the Batman mythology, too. Hopefully Ritchie can find the same kind of balance. Hopefully Sherlock won't shoot more than, say, a dozen people while mumbling in an incomprehensible rural English accent.

Ol' Sherlock hasn't been in movie theaters in a non-spoof situation in quite a while, though several TV movies and mini-series have popped up, mostly in England, where he's something of a folk hero. In 2010 we'll see if Guy Ritchie has done justice to the character. The real question is, will he find a role for his wife? She's been using that fake British accent for a decade, so she's totally ready.

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Eric D. Snider's website is elementary.

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