Hey there guys and welcome to a new 2021 movie review! For this one I am going to be looking at the newest feature starring one of my favorite actors, Denzel Washington (whose American Gangster I actually reviewed when this movie was released) in The Little Things. It was the first 2021 WB movie to do the whole in theaters/HBO Max release, but it was also a movie that had been in development for a very long time. Apparently, the director, John L. Hancock wrote the first draft all the way back in 1993 for Steven Spielberg to direct. He passed on it though, finding it to be too dark and there were a number of other names attached to helm it like Clint Eastwood and Warren Beatty, before Hancock decided to direct the screenplay himself. So now it has finally been made and I was intrigued given the talent on display and I tend to enjoy watching detective thrillers like this. Now that I’ve seen it, I can say that it is a solid thriller with some strong individual parts but also one that has some issues that do hold it back. Let’s see why that is in Washington’s latest attempt at doing a serial killer flick. Also just as a heads up for those who haven’t seen it, I will be discussing some spoilers.
The story follows one deputy sheriff Joe “Deke” Deacon in Bakersfield, Kern County who is called to collect evidence from the Los Angeles County Sheriffs’ department of which he used to be a part of as a detective. When he arrives he eventually joins newly appointed lead detective Jimmy Baxter to investigate the murder of a young woman in L.A., the latest in such a spree of killings that has the police has yet to crack. While investigating, Deacon notices some similarities between this killing and an old murder case that he never solved which also involved a serial killer. He thinks that there may be a real connection and so now he and Baxter are on the hunt for the culprit of this case, but with Baxter unaware of Deacon’s past and him getting more and more obsessed with cracking this mystery there may be more disturbing things afoot than initially expected.
As mentioned I tend to enjoy detective procedurals as done right they can be really investing and have a lot of depth to them. With this film I think it accomplishes some of that as while the basic premise may remind you of other pieces of media (most notably David Fincher’s Se7en) it still manages to mostly work on it’s own terms. Yes it does follow plenty of familiar beats and I can understand why some viewers would have a hard time not comparing it to others of it’s ilk, but as someone who doesn’t mind familiarity if it’s done well I do think the writers set up the conflict nicely in a slow burn fashion and I remained intrigued throughout, genuinely curious as to where the mystery would lead and how the character’s arcs would go. There are character moments that I found myself getting invested in and I also appreciate when Hancock tells the story through the character’s actions and how he would go about slowly revealing more information about them as the movie goes on. It is still a bit of a rough journey at times though as the dialogue can be pretty clunky and the middle starts to get a bit repetitive after a while as it consists of scenes where the characters are trying to look for something. It loses it’s steam for a bit until the finale, which much has been discussed regarding it and unsurprisingly/understandably it has divided quite a few people. For me though I thought it worked well in how it re frames everything that came before and what the movie has really been about this whole time regarding the obsessive toll this job can have on the character’s lives and the dangers of that obsession. I found it interesting and I think it improved the movie for me a little bit even if there are arguments to be made on (spoiler) just how effective Deacon’s cover up of Baxter’s murder of Sparma was given how the real killer is still out there and could strike again afterwards somewhat negating the effort to make Baxter believe that he got rid of the culprit whom he presumed was Sparma. It seems like it requires certain presumptions (maybe Baxter won’t believe whoever the FBI catches was the real killer and stick with his guns) and in that sense I can understand the frustrations, yet I personally think it still works on it’s own terms and it gave the prior proceedings more depth.
If there’s one thing this type of movie needs to have, it’s an effective atmosphere and I felt Hancock and the editors did a good job in that regard. They are able to give the film a moody feel and are able make some scenes have a lot of suspense. In particular the opening sequence where we see our killer attempt to catch a teenage girl and when Deacon is trying to spy on Sparma on a highway which are suspenseful and further elevated by Thomas Newman’s score. Adding to that, John Schwartzman’s cinematography is also really good as it presents Los Angeles in a striking manner, really empathizing the darker, shadowy aspects of the city and it fits the mood of the film very well. The 90s time period is also captured quite nicely although I feel like the movie could have taken place in modern day and I don’t think much would be changed. Not necessarily a criticism just something I thought about after watching and to the filmmakers credit it did very much feel like an old school thriller which I consider a compliment.
Naturally one of the main selling points for me was the cast that was put together for this film and of course they do strong work in front of the camera. Like I said in my American Gangster review, Denzel Washington is one of my favorite actors as I feel he always manages to give in a good performance even if the material isn’t the greatest. With Deacon he brings a lot of world weariness to the part of this former detective with a dark past and I felt he also captured the obsessives toll that has taken over Deacon in trying to figure out the killer’s identity despite the lack of hard evidence. Even when the dialogue gets clunky he still is able to sell it to an extent and I admire any actor for doing their best in that regard. For me he was the most interesting character to follow and there were times where I had some suspicions regarding him and his motives. As for Baxter he also works as the idealistic, yet determined detective who decides to follow Deacon not knowing the dark path this will take him down. The writers do a good job presenting his descent into obsession and Rami Malek is quite good in conveying it. It’s not the most flashiest part, but it worked and he is able to hold as own alongside Washington and Jared Leto. Speaking of which, Leto once again plays an extremely creepy dude in the form of Albert Sparma, the prime suspect of the case whom Deacon and Baxter believe could be the murderer. He was a good fit for the role as he definitely raises more than a little suspicion and can be unsettling, but the movie is also able to keep us questioning whether Sparma is innocent or not as there is reason to suspect he’s just simply crazy without any murderous motivations. The three of them have an interesting dynamic that kept me mostly hooked throughout the uneven middle portion. Everyone else in the supporting cast provide fine support such as Chris Bauer as Sal, an old detective friend of Deacon, Isabel Arraiza as Ana Baxter, Jim’s wife, Michael Hyatt as Flo, a medical examiner who is also an old associate of Deaon, and Terry Kinney as Carl, the LASD captain, but they mostly serve to explain certain details regarding the case and Deacon’s history with the showcased trio of award winning actors being the main focus.
Warts and all I found myself enjoying The Little Things despite it’s familiar story beats, uneven middle portion, and clunky dialogue. I still was pretty invested in what was happening, there are moments of genuine suspense, it’s nicely made with good atmosphere, it’s well acted by all, and the ending re framed things in a way I thought fit the movie. It doesn’t break any new ground for this type of movie but I still found quite a bit to like and I think it works well on it’s own terms. I can see why it’s gotten such a divisive response from many and it’s certainly not going to satisfy everyone, but if you enjoy thrillers like this well there’s no harm in seeing what you think of it. While there are other Denzel Washington thrillers I find myself gravitating towards more, namely his highly underrated Fallen, I do like that he continues to star in these kinds of projects proving that he still a dang great movie star.
Rating: B
Please leave your thoughts down below in the comments and see you guys later!
Review Time 