Denzel Washington is my favorite actor, and a film with two other AA-winning actors seemed like a sure bet! Unfortunately, “The Little Things” doesn’t “measure up” to the top-notch serial killer films like “Seven” (1995) and “Zodiac” (2007), both directed by David Fincher. The writer/director of this movie, Lee Hancock, appears to have been inspired by these two great films, but, despite some similarities, they worked while this one didn’t.
Joe “Deke” Deacon (Denzel) is a policeman who has been exiled to Bakersfield. Deke was formerly a well-respected L.A. cop, but his inability to solve a horrific case resulted in his being disgraced. That case, as well as some of his earlier solved murder cases, caused Deke’s psyche to unravel. Deke’s marriage fell apart and he suffered a heart attack from the fall-out. (He’s so haunted that he could have his own booth at “Knott’s Scary Farm!”)
It’s 1990 and there’s a serial killer on the loose in L.A. Deke comes down to the City of Angels on an errand from Bakersfield and meets his replacement, Jim Baxter (Rami Malek). Jim, after vetting Deke, decides to have Deke help him solve the case. Soon, a suspect emerges – Albert Sparma (Jared Leto), a rather unsavory character.
This movie is very slow and not much happens. One expects tension and suspense to build, but increasing ennui was all I felt. (This movie is a terrific example of Einstein’s “Theory of Relativity,” regarding the elasticity of time!) The ending was unsatisfying and inconsistent with Deke’s character, although the character development and the relationship between them barely scratched the surface, so who knows?
Perhaps Lee Hancock was trying to illustrate how investigating these horrible murders winds up damaging the psyches and souls of the detectives that try to solve them, but he couldn’t translate this idea into a suspenseful and entertaining film.
Bottom Line: “The Little Things” won’t make it to the “Big-Time.” It’s an OTBR at best, worth seeing only for Denzel’s performance.
Denzel Washington is my favorite actor, and a film with two other AA-winning actors seemed like a sure bet! Unfortunately, "The Little Things" doesn't "measure up" to the top-notch serial killer films like "Seven" (1995) and "Zodiac" (2007), both directed by David Fincher. The writer/director of this movie, Lee Hancock, appears to have been inspired by these two great films, but, despite some similarities, they worked while this one didn't. Joe "Deke" Deacon (Denzel) is a policeman who has been exiled to Bakersfield. Deke was formerly a well-respected L.A. cop, but his inability to solve a horrific case resulted in his being disgraced. That case, as well as some of his earlier solved murder cases, caused Deke's psyche to unravel. Deke's marriage fell apart and he suffered a heart attack from the fall-out. (He's so haunted that he could have his own booth at "Knott's Scary Farm!") It's 1990 and there's a serial killer on the loose in L.A. Deke comes down to the City of Angels on an errand from Bakersfield and meets his replacement, Jim Baxter (Rami Malek). Jim, after vetting Deke, decides to have Deke help him solve the case. Soon, a suspect emerges – Albert Sparma (Jared Leto), a rather unsavory character. This movie is very slow and not much happens. One expects tension and suspense to build, but increasing ennui was all I felt. (This movie is a terrific example of Einstein's "Theory of Relativity," regarding the elasticity of time!) The ending was unsatisfying and inconsistent with Deke's character, although the character development and the relationship between them barely scratched the surface, so who knows? Perhaps Lee Hancock was trying to illustrate how investigating these horrible murders winds up damaging the psyches and souls of the detectives that try to solve them, but he couldn't translate this idea into a suspenseful and entertaining film. Bottom Line: "The Little Things" won't make it to the "Big-Time." It's an OTBR at best, worth seeing only for Denzel's performance.
The Little Things: Doesn’t Add Up To Much (HBO Max)
The Little Things: Doesn’t Add Up To Much (HBO Max)
2021-01-31
David
65
6.5
Denzel's The Only Reason To See It!
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7
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