Starring Academy Award® Winners Denzel Washington, Rami Malek and Jared Leto, “The Little Things” is a must-see for fans of Washington and Malek. Just do not expect tons of story. Set in pre-DNA and cell phone 90’s LA, Denzel and Rami are detectives on the trail of a serial killer that ultimately bond over a tragedy. Denzel always elevates every film he is in, so it goes without saying that he is in great form here. Malek is incredible and his haunting performance at the end made me think of Jon Voight in “Deliverance“. I found Jared Leto only mildly creepy as the suspected serial killer
Denzel Washington, as usual, completely morphs into the character of Joe “Deke” Deacon, a cop who is sent on an evidence collecting mission but gets embroiled in a serial killer case that triggers bad memories of cases from his past. He is haunted by the victims of past investigations and
The film, written and directed by John Lee Hancock – who is best known for “The Blind Side” and “Saving Mr Banks” – is beautifully shot with stunning cinematography providing an elegance and beauty to a very dark tale. It is however, not for everyone, as it is very slow paced and more a character study than an actual crime story. Running at two hours and 8 minutes, I was surprised by how little actually happens and that it ended so abruptly. In addition, there is an act of police brutality that will disturb viewers that are woke on this issue.
Production companies: Warner Bros. Pictures, Gran Via
Distributor: Warner Bros., HBO Max
Cast: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto, Chris Bauer, Michael Hyatt, Terry Kinney, Natalie Morales, Isabel Arraiza, Joris Jarsky, Glenn Morshower
Director-screenwriter: John Lee Hancock
Producers: Mark Johnson, John Lee Hancock
Executive producers: Mike Drake, Kevin McCormick
Director of photography: John Schwartzman
Production designer: Michael Corenblith
Costume designer: Daniel Orlandi
Music: Thomas Newman
Editor: Robert Frazen
Casting: Denise Chamian
Rated R, 128 minutes
