Denzel Washington masterclass in a film that fades away
Written and directed by John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side, Saving Mr Banks and The Founder), I’ve watched this intriguing film twice now and although a year apart, I’ve been left with the same feeling every time. Simplistically, it feels very much like a film of two halves with a first half full of promise, suspense and intrigue and a second that benefits greatly from yet another unrecognisably different performance from Jared Leto but which still loses momentum and fades from interest even with his worthy introduction. The film seems to stall and not go anywhere after his introduction and whilst this is in no way a criticism or slight of the chameleon like acting skills of Jared Leto, it’s perhaps more a damning verdict of a film that had run its course well before its 128 minute running time.
With a serial killer seemingly on the loose on the streets of Los Angeles, a somewhat grizzled veteran returns to the scene of both past triumphs and a soul destroying tragedy. On the periphery and away from the on going case, he quickly becomes embroiled as the past refuses to leave him and the future is writ large on the young and cocky new detective who seems destined to follow in his footsteps from the past.
Here are your three principal players:
“Joe Deacon” (Denzel Washington) Commonly also known as simply “Deke”, Denzel Washington is your star of the show here as an ex Los Angeles Detective now a uniformed officer of a neighbouring county who can see his old department’s bright young thing following his older and darker path. Now rehabilitated and recovered from a job that cost him a wife, a divorce and a “triple heart bypass”, he unwisely joins forces with his new protégé whilst visions and the ghosts of his past return to haunt him. Deke is loved and well regarded by the friends in the Police Department he left behind and whilst he fields the disparaging remarks and jibes from his much younger and new erstwhile partner of being “Columbo” or “Kojak”, he’s self assured within himself as a purveyor of good old fashioned and basic police detective work.
Deke says he’s “just leaving” but he never does.
He also states “it’s the little things that are important” and “it’s the little things that get you caught”, but is he tracking and on course to catch the actual killer?
“Jim Baxter” (Rami Malek) LAPD’s bright young thing is a suited and booted aloof and somewhat pleased and sure of himself detective who is both seeking to make a distinctive mark as well as stamping his authority on all those that surround him. He tries, and fails, with Deke, with others disparaging him as a “College Boy” and “Holy Roller”, but one thing is evidently clear, this case is quickly hurting him and in his desperation to resolve it, he may be following Deke down a dark and already well trodden path.
“Albert Sparma” (Jared Leto) Arriving midway through the film with long straggly and greasy hair and an unrecognisable paunch, slouch and shuffling gait, Leto inhabits the prime suspect well and with a schizophrenic gusto and zeal. He’s either calm, smiling, carefree and loquaciously running down a young detective he seemingly can’t help but call “Jimmy” or he’s unhinged, argumentative and combative. The problem for the film is it simply doesn’t go anywhere even after his introduction and the tension just drains away.
The Little Things has very distinct echoes with the 1995 film Se7en but they’re flattering fragments rather than a direct and complimentary comparison. There’s a brilliant jump scare in a darkened room, the musical score from Thomas Newman is full of simple if mournful piano and strings and both Denzel Washington and Jared Leto are very good. Rami Malek rather less so.
There’s an obvious sequel waiting to be made, but there was also a really good original film too but it got lost soon after the halfway mark.
Thanks for reading. For more spoiler free reviews from over a hundred articles, please see the films section of my archives or the three most recently published articles linked below:
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