As far back as 1993’s “The Pelican Brief,” I can recall enjoying the work of Denzel Washington. Even for a movie with as low expectations as “The Equalizer,” some seven or eight years ago, I was pleasantly surprised by not only his performance, but also how it translated to lifting the whole, entire film. Just as there are so few professional athletes, for example, who have the ability to seemingly carry a team to greatness, Mr. Denzel has that uncanny talent as an actor. However, everyone has an hourglass, as well, and the sand will not run forever, will it?
Let me take you back to 1993, again… Director, writer (and eventual producer) John Lee Hancock (“The Founder”) has penned a new screenplay with the intention for Steven Spielberg to direct it. Spielberg passes on it, stating that the story is “too dark” and several, other big-named directors eventually follow suit. Hancock finally decides that it is time to just direct the movie, himself, and so the process begins. By the time it is completed, we have “The Little Things” ready for release, a mere 28 years later!
Hancock did not just sign Denzel (“The Equalizer 2”) to the film. He also obtained Rami Malek (“No Time to Die”). Denzel is Joe Deacon, a deputy sheriff in California, and Rami is Jim Baxter, a detective in the same area. As you might have guessed, the two of them are bound to work together on a significant case and, although, they start out on the wrong foot, so to speak, they eventually become inseparable. It is not only due to the close proximity of their work, but also because of what that work involves for both of them, down the road…
At the opening sequence of the movie, I could have sworn I was watching a suspense/horror film in the vein of “Jeepers Creepers” or “The Hitcher.” Instead, it was all a big tease. I thought, then, that the real story would now begin, but that turned out to be a tease of sorts, as well. The only difference is that the opening was a few minutes and the second chapter was almost half of the total movie. If you feel as those you have seen this kind of film before, you are probably right. Could it be that 28 years of shelf life caused the premise to age poorly? Even so, there I more to any film than just originality. As I once heard a fictional basketball coach utter, “It is not what you do that matters, but how you do it!”
Deacon spends this portion of the movie contemplating past lives in connection to a current string of murders. He speaks to certain corpses as if he knows them, personally, and he watches them, presumably in the afterlife, approach his bedside in the middle of the night while he wrestles with bouts of insomnia. Meanwhile, Jim can be seen raising a daughter and having typical conversations with his wife from his suburban home. Could he be praying and meditating about the safety of his own family, while all these young women continue to disappear from existence around his neighborhood?
Here is when the story really begins: Jared Leto (“The Outsider”), playing as Albert Sparma, enters into the story, equipped with all of the best lines inside the film, including a reference to his preference of pizza toppings, which I happen to agree with, strangely enough. Do I digress? No, not any further.
As one man says, “The devil is in the details.” I could not have said it better myself when speaking about this film, or any other one, for that matter. You see, writing and directing are very valuable cogs when one is building a great machine (or a movie) to be presented to the public. Sometimes, it helps if the roles are occupied by two, separate individuals and sometimes it is is better if the same person takes on double duty. To me, the fundamental issues with “The Little Things” have mostly to do with the directing and the writing because most of the performances seemed wooden or uninspired, aside from that of Jared, and the film carried on for far too long before it truly became interesting. Quantity seems to have taken the place of quality, recently. You can have both, but only quality can exist without the other one. I ought to practice what I preach, but that is just a generalized summation here.
“The Little Things” was an average movie for half of it and a good film for the other half. Therefore, it is “pretty good,” despite the inclusion of three actors adding up to four Oscars on set! Think about that for a moment and ask yourself how this could have occurred. Going back to the sports analogy, what would you think about a team that recruited four championship stars, separately, added them all to one roster and the best they could come up with, in the field of play, was a decent record and an early playoff exit? Would you feel let down? How much blame would you place on them and how much would go toward the head coach (director)? I think I rest my case.
Director: John Lee Hancock
Screenwriter: Hancock
Music: Thomas Newman
Starring: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto, Natalie Morales as Detective Jamie Estrada, Terry Kinney as LASD Captain Carl Farris, Chris Bauer as Detective Sal Rizoli and Joris Jarsky as Detective Sergeant Rogers
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release: January 29th, 2021
