John Buchan once said “every man at the bottom of his heart feels he is a born detective”. May be this is the reason why two of the finest detectives ever penned by the mankind thus remain to be the superhero of every man. No matter how powerful and charismatic the ‘batman’ ‘superman’ or ‘he-man‘ be but the style, the intelligence and the smartness of Holmes and Bond overshadows all the supernatural powers.
I have been a fan of Sherlock Holmes ever since class VII, when I first read the story of the Silver Blaze. What impressed me most about the detective from 221b Bakers Street was, the observation power, the sharpness of his mind and his wittiness. Sherlock Holmes first appeared in 1887 in A Study in Scarlet. As industrious as the state of England may be but still in the late 19th century he had to primarily rely on his own abilities to solve cases due to lack of technological advances and gadgets. Not to forget he would consume cocaine as he believed it makes his brain stronger and sharper. Though Dr. Watson was strictly against this habit of his he continued to do so. Don’t know if it actually helps but it would be foolish to question his mental abilities. The basic concept of his dressing that includes a hat, a pipe, a long coat with a belt and a looking glass has been a trade mark detective costume for ages now.
The knowledge of chemistry, the skill of disguise and the ability to judge human nature helped Holmes crack the toughest of the mysteries much quicker than anyone can even with the help of the most advanced gadgets. The best example of which could be found in the Dying Detective where he knew exactly what the symptoms of the disease thus caused by the poison was, reacting to which he was even smarter in dressing himself up in such a way so as to look being infected. The apt use of belladonna and vaseline made him look a convincing malingerer thus defying the culprit.
His simplicity and effortless ability of analysing the situation has been his USP in solving the anonymities of the Read Headed league, the Sussex Vampire, the speckled band and many more. Nonetheless the quintessential inputs of his medical knowledge by Dr. Watson cannot be over-looked including the time to time monetary help that he had been making to Holmes.
The other British counter-part, better known as double O seven has equally impressed me with his sheer style, brisk movements and intelligence. Unlike Holmes I haven’t read Bond stories but have sincerely been watching all the movies based on them. The manner in which he uses his gadget might make Madame M go bizarre but he himself and all his fans just love to see him do so. From Bentley to Aston martin, from BMW to Routemaster, he has mastered it all. Be it driving on wheels or with the remote as he did in Tomorrow Never Dies, his cars love him as much as he does. So is the case with his Beretta and Walther which made him the greatest small arm’s expert. Some where I once read that Ian Fleming wanted the name of his character to be dull and unromantic hence he gave it a very simple name ‘James Bond’. Wonder if he had ever thought the name ‘Bond as in James Bond’ would become the most stylish name ever making the character one of the biggest Casanova the world has ever seen. Unlike Holmes, Bond would not take drugs instead was intoxicated by women and of course vodka martini.
On one hand where we see the brilliance of his fist movement and awesome use of gun in the Golden eye and Quantum of Solace, movies like the World is Not Enough and Casino Royal proves his cerebral abilities.
Nonetheless, just to justify my belief of a woman brain being sharper and having better decision making power I would like to point out that both these super brainy lads were outclassed by a woman each. Irene Adler whom Holmes always referred to as ‘the woman’ had outshined his master brains on several occasion. Similarly, Wai Lin of Tomorrow Never Dies had bettered Bond in both briskness and intelligence.
Having said that it still makes it so very difficult to choose between the two greats as to who was better. Both the British counterparts have had their share of fan following all throughout the world and have proved being worthy of it time and again. Where Holmes captivates a reader to maximum attention, James Bond is a visual delight. Though I am not much of a reader myself and hardly can a book capture my attention for more than ten minutes, Sir Arthur Canon Doyle indeed has created such a brilliant character which I can never resist reading. On the other hand, where the likes of Mission Impossible and other super hero movies are mere time pass for me, Bond movies are always a must watch for the plot it generates and way it is executed.
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