Original subtitles

In 1891, at the Reichenbach Falls near Maringen in Switzerland, Sherlock Holmes

finally closed his account with Professor Moriarty, the most dangerous

of his generation.

The two men were alone in that dreadful place, but the outcome of their struggle

was obvious to a trained observer.

Holmes had achieved the destruction of his archenemy only at the cost of his

life.

It is now three long years since my dear friend plunged to his death.

There, deep down under the swirling water, the infamous Professor Moriarty

the foremost champion of lore of his generation will lie together for all

Even now...

There is hardly a corner of London that does not remind me of my old friends.

I never walked down Baker Street where we shared rooms for so many eventful

years without it reminding me only too keenly of the past and the loss of one I

shall ever regard as the best and wisest man I have ever known.

I retained a keen interest in criminal matters and supplemented my meagre

practice by working as a police surgeon.

It was in the early spring of 1894 that I was called out early in the morning to

an appointment in the West End.

Morning, Constable. Morning, Doctor.

Inspector Lestrade is waiting for you. First of all, sir.

Inspector? Ah, early call, I'm afraid, Doctor. I'm glad to see you.

The Honourable Ronald Adair.

Oh, not there, sir, if you please.

Oh, I'm sorry.

Age

23.

A second son of the Earl and Countess of Maynooth.

Father, Governor of one of the Australian colonies.

Mother in London for the winter.

Son and daughter living in this house with her.

Suicide? No, no.

No weapon.

Oh, well, this.

The son on the floor beside the corpse.

It's one of those soft -nose revolver bullets. Horrible things.

Must have gone right through the poor fellow's head.

It's unusual, isn't it, for a pistol to have such a velocity?

More like a rifle.

Yes.

Well, it's murder then, Inspector.

Oh, yes.

Any idea who it was?

No. It's early days yet, but this one looks to me as if it could turn out to

a bit of a puzzle.

Well, presumably he was, um, sitting in that chair.

I suppose counting that money.

Oh, the murderer doesn't appear to have been a thief.

Adair had spent the evening playing cards at his club.

Time for one last hand. Oh, yes, indeed.

Now we can get our revenge.

Oh,

Ronald,

what's the damage?

Ronald?

Ronald?

I believe that Ronald couldn't have gone out again. No, my lady. I heard him

come home at about half past ten.

He hasn't gone out again. That I'm sure.

Let's break it down, milady.

Well, in the condition of the body, death was instantaneous.

I suppose the murderer came in through the window.

Well, the window was open.

The strange part of the matter is that...

No signs of any intruder.

Nothing. Inside or out.

I wouldn't like to climb up here at night.

Must have been a monkey.

As you say, Doctor, an impossibility.

Looks like the murderer had wings.

Sort of case, sort of interest in our old friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes.

Yes, indeed.

What a loss he is, Doctor.

Oh, I didn't always approve of his methods, but he was the best amateur

was or ever likely to be.

Well, there were times when he was not the better of me.

All right, Inspector, if you arrange for our friend to be brought round to the

mortuary, I'll conduct an autopsy this afternoon.

Yes, indeed, Doctor.

Well, see you at the inquest. Till then.

Doctor Watson.

You are a police surgeon.

Yes. You examined the deceased Ronald Francis Adair, who is the subject

of this inquest, and later conducted a post -mortem on the corpse.

I did, sir.

Pray, what are your findings?

A death occurred as the result of a bullet wound from a .45 revolver. Dr.

Watson, I beg you to keep to fact.

My business is to establish the facts of this case.

I'm sorry, sir, I don't understand.

You say...

that the bullet came from a .45 revolver. That is pure speculation on

It is not your business to start guessing at the type of weapon used.

That is a subject for the police.

I'm sorry, sir.

Pray continue.

Death occurred as the result of a wound from a soft -nosed lead bullet.

penetrated the skull above the left eye, traversing the left frontal lobe

through the cerebellum, and then exited from the skull at the back of the head

by the left occipital parietal suture.

In your opinion, when did death take place?

Well, it would have been instantaneous.

Have you any idea how far this bullet...

had travelled before it entered the body?

I cannot be sure, but it would certainly be more than four or five feet.

Time of death?

A death occurred between 10 .30 and 11 .30, post -meridian on the 20th of this

month. Thank you, Dr... Watts.

Ronald Adair and I were in the Harrow 11 together.

He was a first -class bat.

Pretty effective leg spinner.

A good sportsman, in fact.

Absolutely first -class sportsman, sir.

Straight as a dive.

One of the most popular fellows I know.

Thank you, Mr.

Murray.

Sir John Hardy.

I was Ronald Adair's godfather and the trustee of the estate.

Of course, the family is absolutely devastated by this appalling tragedy.

I put the boy up for the Bagatelle Club, as a matter of fact.

He always enjoyed a game of cards.

Win or lose.

Would that affect Mr.

Adair in any way, Mr. Johnson? Good Lord, no. Not in the least.

He never played such high stakes they could affect him at all.

The family fortune is a very considerable one.

Thank you, Sir John.

You have been a great help.

And may I say that evidence from such a distinguished person as yourself is

greatly valued by the court.

Colonel Moran.

You were the last person known to have seen Mr. Adair.

Did you know him well?

I wouldn't say that I knew Ronald Adair well.

I knew his father, Lord Maynooth, very well.

We used to play polo together in India.

But Ronald... I've seen quite a good bit of him at our clubs over the past few

months. We played cards together from time to time.

Oh, charming boy.

Good manners, intelligent.

Matter of fact, he's just the stamp of a young fellow I'd like to see joining my

old regiment.

Did you notice anything unusual about him? Did he seem worried or upset?

On the last evening you saw him? Not in the least. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Have you any idea why someone should choose to murder him?

No idea at all.

I doubt if he had an enemy in the world.

Thank you, Colonel Moran.

Inspector Lestrade, would you give me your opinion as to the cause of the

Honourable Ronald Adair's death?

Yes, sir.

Willful murder by person or persons unknown.

Help!

Willful murder by person or persons unknown.

I think they're not great at that.

Luke's Grove, Kenton. Have it.

Yeah?

Gentleman, see you, Doctor.

Is it an urgent matter?

I don't know, Doctor.

Did he give you his card?

No, Doctor.

Ivy, if I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times, my consulting hours

are plainly displayed outside.

Now, please.

Oh, sir.

Dr. Watson! Yes, indeed, sir.

You may go, Ivy.

I am exceedingly busy, sir. Of course you are, Doctor. Of course you are a man

of considerable responsibility.

But I heard you give your address to that cab driver outside the court, and I

said to myself, I'll just hobble around and see that guy.

Gentlemen, I have a conscience, sir.

I can tell him that if I was a little grouch in my manner, I meant no harm by

it, and I'm much obliged to him for helping me pick up my books. You make

much of a trifle, sir. You should have spared yourself the journey. Now, if

you'll excuse me... Oh, don't be childish, sir.

I am a neighbour of yours.

You will find my little bookshop on the corner of Church Street, Macedon.

Ah,

I'm very happy to see you, sir. I'm sure, doctor.

Perhaps...

You collect?

I have the British birds.

This is a catalogue.

Quite a rare volume of the Holy War.

Bargains every once in a while.

Just the books you need to fill up your bookcase.

Give me the little weight. It does look a little untidy, does it not?

Watson, do you mind if I smoke a cigarette in your consulting room?

Oh.

Oh.

My dear Watson.

I had no idea that you'd be so... Oh, is it really you?

Can you really be in it? You're alive.

But are you really fit enough to discuss things?

I've given you a serious shock by my unnecessarily dramatic reactions. No,

no. I'm all right, Tom.

I'm all right.

But I need home.

I can hardly believe my eyes.

Good heavens, to think that you, you, of all men, should be here in my

convulsions.

You're not a spirit, are you?

Dear Jack, I'm overjoyed to see you. Sit down, sit down.

And tell me how you came alive.

Out of that awful chasm.

Oh, I'm glad to stretch myself.

It's no joke when a tall man has to take a photo of his stature for several

hours on end.

Oh, my dear

fellow, we have a hard... And dangerous nights work

ahead of us.

Perhaps it would be better if I gave her account of the whole situation when

that work is finished.

No, no, no.

I'm full of curiosity. I should much prefer to hear now.

But you will come with me tonight.

When you like, where you like.

Ha! Ha!

What?

This is just like the old days.

You might have a chance for the mouthful of dinner before we leave, girl.

Dinner, of course, but first, you must tell me everything.

You sure you're all right?

about that chasm.

I had no theory of the difficulty in getting out of it for the simple reason

that I was never in it.

You were never in it? No, Watson.

I never was in it.

The note that I left on the rock at the Reichenbach Falls was absolutely

genuine.

I had little doubt that my career had come to an end.

and I perceived the somewhat sinister figure of Moniart standing upon the

pathway that led to safety.

I read an inexorable purpose in his grey eyes.

I managed to obtain his courteous permission to write the note which you

afterwards received.

It has remained my most treasured possession.

It was a few months later that I read with great interest your description of

death.

It was excellently done, a most picturesque and exciting piece of

Well, I'm certainly glad from the bottom of my heart that it was fiction.

But what didn't really happen?

When I reached the ledge, I stood at bay.

He drew no weapon, but rushed at me, and through his long arms ran.

He knew that his game was out, and was only anxious to revenge himself upon me.

I have, however, some knowledge of Baritsu, or the Japanese system of

which has, on more than one occasion, been deadly.

How did you get away from that place?

It was not a pleasant business.

Even as Professor Moriarty disappeared into oblivion, it struck me what an

extraordinary lucky chance fate had placed in my way.

I knew that at least one of Moriarty's henchmen would seek my demise now, with

even keener determination to revenge their dead leader.

But if I could convince the world that I too was dead, so I decided to

disappear.

Vananda.

Heavens above.

But the track homes.

I saw them with my own eyes. Two went down the path and none returned.

I'm not a fanciful person, but I give you my word there were times during that

climb when I came to hear Moriarty's voice screaming at me.

At last I reached a place where I was able to remain and feed.

From my concealed place, I watched you and your followers investigating in the

most sympathetic and inefficient manner the circumstances of my death.

At last, when you had all formed your inevitable but totally erroneous

conclusions, you departed.

It was time for me to be on my way.

Of course, the meaning of this was obvious.

Moriarty had not been alone.

A confederate from a distance had been witness to his friend's demise in my

escape.

I did not take long to think about it, Watson.

I took to my heels and covered ten miles over the mountains in the pending

darkness.

A week later, I found myself in Florence with the certainty that no one in the

world knew what had become of me.

I had one confidant, my brother Mycroft.

I had to confide in him in order to obtain the money I needed to live.

Of course, I owe you many apologies, my dear Watson.

But it was all important that it should be thought I was dead.

And it is quite certain that you would not have written so convincing an

of my unhappy end had you yourself not thought that it was true.

I have taken up my pen to write to you, but always I feared that your

affectionate regard might tempt you to some indiscretion which would betray my

secret.

would have thought I was as trustworthy as your brother.

Of course you are, Watson.

But you have a kind heart.

But what have you done all these long years?

Well,

you may have read of the remarkable explorations of a Norwegian called

Sigurdson.

But I'm sure it never occurred to you that you were receiving news of your

friend.

For two years, I traveled to Tibet and amused myself by visiting Lhasa

and spending some time with the head Lama.

I then moved to Persia and paid a short but interesting visit to the Khalifa in

Khartoum, the result of which I passed down to Lord Kitchener in the Foreign

Office, anonymously, of course.

You mean once you saw the palace where Gordon was born?

It was a forest, right.

A ruin.

His blood still upon the staircase.

Lately I've been in France, in Montpellier, researching into the coal

derivatives.

Then came the news of this remarkable murder, which not only appealed to me by

its own merit, but which seemed to offer some most peculiar personal

opportunities.

So here I am.

Have you been to Baker Street? Yes.

I called out this morning in my own person.

My craft had preserved my rooms and my papers exactly as they had always been.

And so it was that I found myself in my old rooms, sitting in my old chair.

And only wishing that I could have seen my dear friend Watson sitting in the

other chair, which he had so often adored.

And so I hope I will be.

What a remarkable...

Are you still in possession of

your army revolver?

Well, I think I have it somewhere.

See that you bring it with you tonight.

But I have a piece of work.

for both of us, which, if we bring to a successful conclusion, will in itself

justify a man's life on this planet.

I beg you to tell me about it.

You will see and hear enough before morning.

Watson, may I occupy your couch for a few hours?

The sea was exceedingly rough during the Channel crossing, and the prospect of

seeing London again...

and an imminent encounter with one of Moriarty's confederates plus the added

pleasure of seeing my old friend Watson quite prohibited in sleep on the railway

train. My dear Holmes, please, my bedroom isn't at your disposal.

No, no, no, no, this will suit me very well.

I've had harder beds than this over the past few years.

Do you know where we are?

Surely that is Baton Street.

Exactly.

We're in the empty house opposite our old courses.

Why are we here?

Because it commands such an excellent view of that picturesque pile.

Might I trouble you, Watson, to be so kind as to draw a little nearer to the

window, taking every precaution not to reveal yourself, and then to look into

our old rooms, let us see whether three years of absence have entirely taken

away my power to surprise you.

It's marvellous.

I trust that age will not with no cut on the tail of my infinite variety.

It is rather like me, is it not? I should be prepared to swear it with you.

construction is due to a Monsieur Oscar Meunier of Grenoble.

The bust is in wax.

The rest I arranged during my visit to Baker Street earlier.

But why?

By God, I had the strongest possible reason for wishing certain people to

believe that I was there when I was really elsewhere.

You thought the rooms were watched?

I knew they were being watched.

By whom?

By the one remaining member of that charming society whose leader lies in

Reichenbach Falls.

Sooner or later, he believed that I would come back to my room so he had

watched.

I was observed when I arrived this morning.

I recognized the sentinel.

Harker, by name.

A garotter by trade.

And a remarkable exponent upon a Jewish rock.

Now I understand the reason for the old bookseller.

I care not a jot about Parker, but I care a great deal about the much more

formidable person who is behind him.

The bosom friend of Moriarty.

That is the man who is after me tonight.

And let us hope that he is also the man who is totally unaware that we are after

him.

Look. Just beyond the house.

A couple of shady characters in the doorway. Yes, I see them.

Can we do something?

The shadows moved.

Certainly it has moved.

I involved Mrs. Hudson.

We've been in this room two hours and she has made...

So I'm changing that figure eight times.

Mr. Holmes!

Mr. Craig, how nice to see you. So it really is you.

As your messenger, I can scarce believe it. You seem to want some unofficial

help. Three undetected murders in one year won't do, you know. Oh, I know this

man. Of course you do, Watson. So does the inspector.

Colonel Sebastian Moran.

Once of Her Majesty's Indian Army, and the best heavy game shot our Eastern

Empire has ever produced.

I believe I'm correct, Colonel, in saying that your bag of tigers still

unrivaled. I wonder that my simple stratagem could deceive so old a

How many times have you not tethered a young kid under a tree, laid above it

with your rifle, and waited for your bait to bring up your tiger?

This empty house is my tree, and you are my tiger!

Well, that is exact.

You may or may not have just cause for arresting me, but there can be no reason

why I should be subjected to the jibes of this person.

If I am in the hands of the law, let things be done in a legal way.

Well, that sounds reasonable.

Anything further to say before we go?

Only to ask what charge you intend to prefer.

What charge, sir?

Of course...

The attempted murder of Mr. Sherlock Holmes.

Not so, Lestrade.

To you and you only belongs the credit of this remarkable arrest.

With your usual mixture of cunning and audacity, you have got him.

I don't understand you, Mr. Holmes.

Do you mean this man?

The man whom the entire police force has been seeking in vain.

Colonel Sebastian Moran.

who shot the young Adair through the open window of his parents' house upon

20th of last month.

That is your charge, Lestrade.

You were quite the heroine of the occasion. Oh, I don't know. I'm short.

I hope you have observed all precautions.

Oh, yes, sir. I went with it on my knees, just exactly as you told me.

And a good crick in my back to prove it. Oh, I wasn't half frightened, doctor.

And when that window shattered...

I thought I should have died.

Yes, you did it very well, Mrs. Hudson.

There's no sign of the bullet.

Oh, excuse me, sir.

A moment, if you please.

I have it here.

I picked it up off the carpet. Mrs. Hudson, you are becoming indispensable.

A soft... Revolver bullet.

As you perceive, there's genius in that.

For who would expect such a thing to be fired from an air gun?

No ordinary air gun. No, indeed, a remarkable and unique weapon.

Noiseless and of tremendous power. I knew von Herder, the blind German

who constructed it to the order of the late Professor James Moriarty.

Watson, look at this.

The old Shikari's nerves had not lost their steadiness, nor his eyes their

keenness. The results are appalling. Yes, indeed.

Had you heard of the name Moran before Adair's murder?

No, I had not.

Well, well, well. Such is the price of fame. Would you be so kind as to hand me

down my L to M index?

Of biographies, Watson.

My list of M's is a fine one. Mind you, Moriarty's name is enough to make any

letter illustrious.

I seem to remember Morgan, the poisoner, married you of

abominable memory. And there was Matthews, who knocked out my left canine

Charing Cross Station.

Ah.

Ah, there is our friend of last night.

Moran, Sebastian Colonel, son of Sir Augustus Moran, once British Minister to

Persia, educated in Oxford, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Served in Jawaki campaign, Afghan campaign.

Sherpa Colt.

mentioned in his papers.

The second most dangerous man in London.

This is astonishing, Holmes. This is the career of an honourable soldier. It's

true.

Up to a certain point, he did well.

You know, there are some trees, Watson, which grow to a certain height and then

suddenly develop some unsightly eccentricity. You will often find it in

Whatever the cause, Moran began to go wrong.

Without an open scandal, he still made India too hot to hold him. He retired,

came back to London, when again he acquired an evil name. It was about this

that he was caught out by Professor Moriarty.

When we were in Switzerland, Watson, Moran followed us with Moriarty, and it

undoubtedly he who gave me those evil five minutes above the Franklin Black

Falls. Now I can understand why he disappeared.

A fellow like this, free in London.

Your life would not have been worth living.

All I could do was wait and watch the criminal news, knowing that if I was

patient, sooner or later he would make a mistake.

When I heard of the murder of Ronald Adair, I knew that at last my chance had

come.

Knowing what I did, was it not certain that Colonel Moran had done it?

He paid cards for the lad, followed him home from his club and shot him.

through the open window from the rooftop opposite.

Watson, does anything else remain for me to explain?

Yes.

You have not made clear what was Moran's motive in murdering the Honourable

Ronald there.

There we move into the realms of conjecture.

Each may form his own hypothesis upon the present evidence, and yours is as

likely to be corrected as mine.

Watson, have you formed one?

Hmm.

I think so.

Let me hear.

Well, it's not difficult to explain the facts.

There must have been a considerable amount of money involved, and Moran had

undoubtedly played foul. I think that Adair had discovered that he was

Splendid. Very likely he spoke to him privately and threatened to expose him,

Moran, unless he voluntarily resigned membership of his club and promised not

play again.

Watson, this is excellent.

Exclusion from his club would mean ruin to Moran, who lived by his ill -gotten

card games.

Therefore, he murdered a death.

Will it pass?

I think, without doubt.

But you have hit upon the truth.

Anyway, to be verified or disproved of the trial. Meanwhile, come what may,

Colonel Moran will trouble us no more.

And the famous air gun of Bon Hurder will embellish the Scotland Yard Museum.

Come in.

Once again, Mr. Sherlock Holmes is free to devote his life.

to examining those interesting little problems which the complex life of

so plentifully presents.

Mr. Sherlock Holmes.