Boasting the presence of no less than three Academy Award winners in Denzel Washington, Rami Malek and Jared Leto, and from the filmmaker behind the likes of Saving Mr. Banks and The Blind Side – both excellent movies and much loved around these parts, comes this painfully drawn-out, slow burn of a crime drama reminiscent of the genre movies of the decade in which it is based, the 1990s.
Washington is Joe “Deke” Deacon, a seasoned cop shunted out of Los Angeles to a deputy sheriff role in Bakersfield, California. He’s been asked to return to his old stomping ground to collect some evidence for a murder case, but is immediately drawn into a cold case that has seemingly reared its head once again after a serial killer has seemingly struck once again. As he arrives in Los Angeles, Deacon runs into new hot-shot detective – effectively his replacement – Detective Jim Baxter (Malek) who is running the case. Deacon accompanies Baxter to the crime scene and immediately draws up similarities between the murder of a young woman the old case he failed to solve years previous.
With further developments over the same evening, and the following days, Deacon stays in town after taking vacation time to assist Baxter in the case, and their investigation soon leads them to Albert Sparma (Leto), a back-room repair man who fits the description of their suspect. The investigation sees the two look at ‘The Little Things’ of the title to track down their serial killer, the tiniest clues that could lead them to an arrest and hopefully a conviction. But is Sparma their man?
It goes without saying that the acting on display in The Little Things is exceptional; Washington and Malek excellent as the old hand detective and the young protégé. Add in Leto’s Golden Globe nominated turn as the ‘bad guy’ villain of the piece worthy of merit, too. As I said, the film is reminiscent of films like Se7en, though not quite as dark as Fincher’s ’90s masterpiece. That movie had the ultimate pay-off, an exceptional, very memorable final third that has probably remained with every viewer since. Those expecting something similar fromThe Little Things may be a little let down. This is all about procedure and following the evidence, rather than some wicked contrived plot that leads to a definite resolution.
There’s a lot going on, John Lee Hancock’s screenplay in no hurry to get to its destination, but the film’s narrative journey is one that manages to steer clear of genre clichés, evident right of the way from its nail-biting opening frames to the final scenes, the story and tone not willing to comply with convention. It’s slow pacing may not gel with some, particularly those caught up with the slew of similarly-themed, fast-paced television shows of this nature, and its lack of a definite resolution may frustrate. However, that said, it is a film that does stay with you after the credits roll, the feature asking you to replay what you’ve witnessed over and over again in your head; those ‘Little Things’ you may have missed first time around, perhaps?
Not for all, but a worthy watch if you’re up for something a little more thought-provoking than the usual crime dramas flooding the small screen, and definitely worth the admission price for Washington’s performance alone.
The Little Things is released on premium home rental from 11th March.
The Little Things
Summary
The performances are great but this is a very slow-watch. A whodunnit/ did-he-do-it that might frustrate as much as it entertains.
