The Little Things is an American crime thriller film directed by John Lee Hancock. It stars Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto, and Natalie Morales in lead roles and was released on 29th January 2021 on HBO Max.
Set in October 1990, in Los Angeles, a deputy sheriff Joe Deacon or Deke (Denzel Washington) is called to the LAs Sheriff Department to collect evidence and there he joins Jimmy Baxter (Rami Malek) who is recently chosen as the lead detective to the murders happening in Los Angeles. On the same night, Ronda Rathbun also goes missing. Jimmy and Deke are spending time sharing their views on this case but Jimmy is told by his superiors not to involve Deke in this case. But Deke taking a vacation leave for a week, rents an apartment and stays in LA and helps Jimmy on this case. More girls are getting killed and here Deke starts to follow Albert Sparma (Jared Leto) whom he found suspicious working at a repair shop. Albert is brought in for interrogation and admits that he killed all the girls. But he once admitted to a murder that he didn't commit eight years ago, so is Albert the real killer?
Written by John Lee Hancock, The Little Things is a crime thriller but also a neo-noir, paying tribute to the 50s and 60s crime thriller for their slick and stylish direction. But can we say the same for this one? No, the screenplay of this film feels all over the place and there's nothing in this film we could call slick or the best of its kind. A serial killer is on the loose and what we see here is two cops investigating the case but never reaching a definite conclusion. It happens, I get it. But do we need to sit through two hours to watch this?
Hancock tries to be real, with his characters and with the story. But if you have already watched Se7en and Zodiac, then trust me nothing is exciting here to invest your time. Deke has a past that works like a demon, always follows him, about a case he didn't solve, and because of that he even had a heart attack. He's William Somerset from Se7en and Rami Malek's Baxter is David Mills. I think you got that and The Little Things is just a second-hand Se7en. The pacing is also the biggest drawback that instead of lifting the impact, it slugs and drags and slugs.
After one hour, when Albert is brought in for questioning, I thought the second half might work. The pace picks up but sadly for a couple of minutes. The tension which should have been created unfortunately appears 'me waiting for this film to over'. This film solely relies on its three characters and not on the serial killing and maybe that's why it fails to portray anything convincingly. "It's the little things that are important, it's the little things that get you caught", Deke says this to Baxter referring to the case, but at the last he says this referring to what Baxter did to Albert. So yes it's also about how it affected Baxter's mind but in the end, you'll see that these two hours were for nothing.
What keeps you invested here are the performances from the three Academy Award-winning actors. Denzel Washington nailed his character, Joe Deacon, from emotional level to physical level. His restrained performance is a treat to see, whether in the scene where he goes to meet his ex-wife or his sudden jumping out when Albert says 'why not?'. Rami Malek is very controlled as Jimmy Baxter. His way of speaking and even emoting in the scenes with no dialogues at all, he once again delivered a winning performance. But it was Jared Leto who brings a breeze of interest in this unfulfilling film. He's creepy, unpredictable and with his straight face, he conveys all the unsettling emotions he could. We'll see him soon as Michael Morbuis in Marvel's next venture Morbius in 2022. But it is disheartening to say that these top-notch performances will be forgotten in no time.
The cinematography by John Schwartzman is amazing. The camera work here also displays the emotions of the characters perfectly. The production design by Michael Corenblith is perfect and the music by Thomas Newman is unnerving and haunting. The editing by Robert Frazen is also the weakest link in the film.
The Little Things directed by John Lee Hancock doesn't really know what it wants to be, a serial killer murder mystery or a psychological thriller showcasing the case affecting the two central characters' minds. It fails in both cases, it raises your expectations with its unsettling tone at the start but the story is not gripping or intriguing enough to keep you hooked throughout. Watch Fincher's films instead, Se7en or Zodiac, or any other thriller as this is something where you'll spend your two hours literally for nothing.
Rating:- 2/5
Now streaming on HBO Max.
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