The Game of Shadows:

Playfulness is the predisposition to engage in playful activities and interactions—much

research on this predisposition has been conducted by a researcher named Barnett, who
went on to define the construct as: "a predisposition to frame (or reframe) a situation in
such a way as to provide oneself (and possibly others) with amusement, humor, and/or
entertainment. Individuals who have such a heightened predisposition are typically
funny, humorous, spontaneous, unpredictable, impulsive, active, energetic, adventurous,
sociable, outgoing, cheerful, and happy, and are likely to manifest playful behavior by
joking, teasing, clowning, and acting silly."
So, basically, 'play' has been defined by those who take it seriously as a mentality, an
attitude, a demeanor that melds certain aims (i.e. I want to be cheerful) with certain traits
(i.e. being funny) and certain outcomes (i.e. increase in positive affect).
Playfulness can only take place in certain contexts. If serious stakes are involved—say a
real-life battle between two warring groups—then a playful demeanor would likely be
dangerous and maladaptive, at least in outcome. Also, playfulness is a process that
can be done well or poorly, just like anything else. As the adage goes, it's not
whether you win or lose but how you play the game. And if you play it
mindfully—fully engaged, with the right balance of spontaneity and effort
(though it may feel effortless) and well-practiced, well-sharpened skills—
then you are playing at a high level. Think getting 'into the zone' in sports. The
antithesis would be mindless play in which there is little energy, emotional investment
and regard for the rules and outcomes.
In “The Game of Shadows” the primary strength is that it provides a strong sense of play.
The attention-to-detail and connecting-the-dots process inherent in advanced detecting
and reasoning abilities would've been engaging to behold, but such ideas unfortunately
take a backseat to witty banter and prolonged action sequences. Overshadowing this flaw
is a tremendously engaging sense of play. There are two main avenues the film takes in
this vein.
First and foremost, Sherlock Holmes is a character that has unintentionally been molded
to be a prototype of playfulness. He's playing even when he's serious. The unparalleled
acting chops of Robert Downey Jr. is primarily channeled to exude his character with all
of the personality qualities in the Bartlett definition mentioned above, from
unpredictability to humorousness. Further, he doesn't simply detect crimes and pursue
villains; he seeks to reframe all that is happening in a playful manner. For instance, when
he's worked out the conspiracy involving the evil Moriarty, he doesn't simply lay out his
plan to his trusted sidekick Watson or to us as the audience. Instead, he dictates that the
rules and steps to his plan leak out in as suspenseful intriguing 'need-to-know' manner,
which he delivers with a showman's sense of dramatic timing. His sense of play is further
highlighted by his tendency to rotate costumes as often as he re-packs his pipe, and to
engage in such traditional adult play as drinking, dancing and chess.
Holmes reminds us of some other qualities of play. Play can be a solitary activity, and play
can also be a bridge of connection to others. Sherlock-Downey Jr. uses playful banter and
the reframe of the Moriarty mystery as a game in order to re-connect with Watson - his
best friend who is physically and symbolically drifting away from him through marriage
to his new wife.
Also, in the same way that attention, engagement and creativity enter the equation in
advanced stages of play—Holmes is constantly experimenting with various theories and
substances in an effort to 'play' even more effectively. A prime example is when he spends
his free time sniffing odd, rare chemicals and later, uses that knowledge base to detect the
same smell in a more threatening situation. Such subtle environmental clues aid him in
seeing the big-picture of what is being plotted by the villainous Moriarty.
The second way in which the film expresses playfulness is through the filmmaker, Guy
Ritchie. Ritchie develops 'play' as a sensibility within the film, establishing such a
relationship between the film and audience. For one, the notion of 'game' is everywhere,
from the title, to an inordinate amount of references by the characters to such subtle
priming as when he intersperses fight scenes with party scenes. And speaking of the action
sequences and fight scenes, Ritchie clearly gives himself a timeout here to take a
particularly playful approach—using slow-motion, multiple-layered soundtracks and
inner monologue narration to punctuate these plot-irrelevant moments

Incidents of Other Strategic Moves in the Movie:

Moriarty's men attack Watson and Mary on a train to their honeymoon. Holmes, having
followed the pair to protect them, throws Mary from the train into a river below where
she is rescued by Mycroft.
When simza was found, Holmes bluffed Simza that she has been targeted because Rene
is working for Moriarty and may have told her about his plans. Simza takes the pair to the
headquarters of an anarchist group to which she and Rene had formerly belonged. They
learn that the anarchists have been forced to plant bombs for Moriarty.
Holmes spells out Moriarty's plot, revealing that the Professor secretly acquired shares in
multiple war profiteering companies using various pseudonyms to conceal his identity
and intends to instigate a world war to make himself a fortune. Meanwhile, Watson uses
the cannon he had been hiding behind to destroy the watchtower in which Moran is
concealed. The structure collapses into the warehouse where Moriarty is holding Holmes
captive. Watson, Simza, and an injured Holmes reunite and escape aboard a moving train.

While being tortured by Moriarty, Holmes replaced the professor's personal diary that
contained all his plans and financing with a duplicate. The original was sent to Mary in
London, who decrypted the code using a book that Holmes had noticed in Moriarty's
office during their first meeting, before passing the information to Inspector Lestrade,
who seizes Moriarty's assets and donates his fortune to anti-war charities.