The Little Things Delivers Solid Performances But Largely Disappoints As Being A Mediocre Crime Thriller

 

      When it comes to crime thrillers, most generally end up being entertaining with many following the same basic conventions, that largely make up the genre. Great murder-mystery thrillers such as David Fincher's Seven for example rely on smart writing, brilliant directing which gives the film a persistent pace in regards to suspense, and top notch performances from its main leads that ultimately brings believability to the films story. Although the formula may feel a bit familiar to audiences with two know-it-all cops being forcibly put together in an effort to solve a series of murders committed by a slick and calculated serial killer who remains on the loose up until this point, it's the distinct ways that each films respective filmmakers bring their stories to the big screen which make them memorable. With The Little Things, the filmmakers behind the story assemble a powerful trio of reliable method actors in the main roles to bring credibility to the story with the likes of Academy Award Winners Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, and Jared Leto. Following the same formula of Fincher's film that's become basic in telling a compelling murder-mystery story, The Little Things aims to be something more masterful, unpredictable, and exciting than what it ultimately ends up being. Although the film carries with it fantastic performances from its main leads, it finds itself mostly struggling to tell a truly compelling murder mystery story largely due to its extremely slow-pacing as well as a true lack of suspense that the film itself is largely devoid of. Given the strength of the films main leads as actors, the material they work off doesn't match the calibre of the performances they bring to the screen.

      The plot for The Little Things centers around a former detective (Played by Denzel Washington) whose promising career derailed when he became fixated on catching a serial killer, teams up with a young, up-and-coming detective (Played by Rani Malek) to continue the search. As the two become more obsessed with catching him, they begin to step outside of their police procedures with it resulting in unpredictable yet severe consequences. The plot for The Little Things bears a close resemblance to Fincher's Seven despite it being noted that the script for the former was written prior to Fincher's film in the 1990's. Perhaps one of the core reasons it took so long to finally be brought to the screen was the inescapable comparison that would be drawn between the two films. Although The Little Things bears strong similarities to Fincher's work with the whole plot involving a veteran and younger cop pursuing a methodical killer with a surprise end twist accompanying the plot, it attempts for the most part to carry out its own story although the end result doesn't prove to be anywhere as memorable in regards to quality. The Little Things suffers from audiences being already familiar with the mechanics of the plot with nothing new being brought to the table which makes it  feel innovative or truly thrilling. It's no question that the main actors attempted to elevate the film to being something more than just a serviceable thriller, but that's ultimately what it ends up being. The Little Things desires to be a thriller that's both unique and compelling from start to finish in a vein similar to classics such as Fincher's Seven or Michael Mann's Manhunter, but it doesn't feel as if the maximum effort went into making its plot work. From a visual standpoint, the film is cleverly shot with impressive cinematography, but what hurts the film on a significant level and ultimately bogs it down is the slow pacing that accompanies the story. For two thirds of the films 128 minute running time, there isn't much happening that's significant enough to keep audiences at the edge of their seat besides the strong work that both Washington and Malek put into their performances. The films climactic sequence, though effective, feels too similar to the one presented in Seven for comfort. The Little Things is a film that possesses interesting themes such as the notion that its the little things which ultimately get one caught as Denzel Washingtons character repeatedly tells Malek's throughout the film, as well as the exploring of cops becoming so obsessed with their cases that they ultimately lose sight of everything else along with that obsession making them cross the line of doing what's morally right by the law to catch the ones responsible. The Little Things serves as being a thriller with the right idea and intentions behind it, but it's overall execution leaves much to be desired in regards to its story with the whole scenario feeling too familiar as well as formulaic for audiences to become truly engaged with it.

      Whereas the film struggles in the storytelling department, the one area where it unequivocally excels at is within the acting department. The performances given by Washington, Malek, and Leto are brilliant and do much in regards to making the whole experience a passable one in terms of watchability. In the films main lead, Denzel Washington once again nails it in his role as Deputy Sheriff Joe Deacon, whose brought back on the case to track a killer he was previously pursuing after a tragic mistake derailed his career. Washington plays his part well while making the audience understand, as well as sympathize with his characters persistence in catching​ his killer. His character comes across as being obsessed with the case along with being remorseful of the fatal mistake he made which resulted in the death of one of the victims he was searching for. Washington continues to demonstrate that he's one of Hollywood's most reliable and talented actors, who can take any material given to him and make his character work regardless of how the rest of the film around him turns out. Rami Malek proves to be a worthy co-star to Washingtons character with him playing recently appointed lead detective Jimmy, who pairs with Joe in solving the case of a new series of murders that connects to old ones he attempted to solve previously. Malek does a solid job with playing his part with both him and Washington making for a dynamic on screen pair. Both men take their roles and attempt to make their cop pairing a thrilling one, which can make up for some of the films shortcomings in regards to its lack of excitement. As good as the main duo perform in their roles, they're​ met with an equally impressive performance from Jared Leto as the detectives main suspect Albert Sparma, who works at a repair store in close proximity to the murders. Leto is chillingly effective in his supporting role as the main duos number one suspect with his character leaving audiences with a huge question mark in regards to whether he's the one Washington and Malek are searching for. Leto plays his character as being a total creeper, though one whose smart enough to get away with leaving zero traces of evidence behind at the crime scenes for the police to pin him on. The rest of the cast turn in serviceable performances with their minimal roles with Isabel Arraiza as Jimmy's wife Ana, Chris Bauer as the main duos fellow detective Sal, and Terry Kinney as Police Captain Farris. When it comes to the acting in The Little Things, it's not even a question on whether the cast as a whole delivered strong performances with the answer being a resounding yes. Everyone appears to be on their A game here and make the most of the material with the strongest work coming from Washington, Malek, and Leto whose surprise Golden Globe nomination for his performance is well-deserved. Regardless of how audiences feel about the film as a whole, it can be unanimously agreed upon that the cast of The Little Things attempted to elevate the film to the status of being an extremely well-executed and believable thriller.

      In addition to the films stellar acting performances, the directing by John Lee Hancock also manages to be appealing with his ability to create an intensely dark and gritty atmosphere with stunning cinematography. When it comes to the films overall visual style, Hancock gives the film the right shadowy mood and look to make the story feel genuinely creepy with the main characters using flashlights to guide their way through areas of pure darkness. The films score by Thomas Newman feels atmospheric with it appropriately being dark in certain areas, while also managing to be hopeful in others. Whereas the cinematography and score both work hand-in-hand​ in regards to enhancing the mood of the story, the films editing is where it finds itself struggling to keep up with the films visual appeal. The pacing gives the film an unevenly slow flow that will unquestionably leave viewers frustrated with one wanting something significant to happen, but unfortunately doesn't for most of the film. With Fincher's Seven, the film took the appropriate time to establish the partnership between Freeman and Pitt's characters while always managing to keep the audience at the edge of their seat in regards to wondering what was gonna happen next. The story was not only engaging but downright creepy, and carried a fear of the unknown vibe to it. The same can't be said with The Little Things as the plot carries potential to be good, but the effort given in the writing department ultimately doesn't match the effort that Hancock delivers in presenting the films overall look.

      The screenplay also written by Hancock serves as being both a hit-and-miss effort with the scripts strength behind the well-established relationship between Washington and Malek's characters. Both characters are thoroughly developed with audiences seeing Malek's character as being a family man outside of his work, though he's shown to become more obsessive with solving the case as the story progresses. Washington's character is portrayed as having a tremendous burden placed on his shoulders in regards to what happened in the past, along with desiring to catch the killer both him and Malek are pursuing. Some of the key themes that are explored in the script are mental illness, estranged families, truth, and obsession with the films ultimate driving message behind it being that it's the little things that will ultimately get one caught. The Little Things wants and desires to be a thriller in the same vein as Fincher's Seven, but doesn't quite know how to go about doing so. One of the scripts biggest problems is its tendency to withhold information from the audience in an effort to make them put the missing pieces of the story together, but the end result ultimately leaves more doors open than closed. The audience is never given any confirmation on whether Leto's character is the real killer that the main characters are searching for, or just some random creepy mechanic that gets a kick out of misleading the cops into thinking he's their suspect when in fact he could be lying about everything. The script largely suffers from a severe lack of anything significant happening within the films first 90 minutes, as audiences are only shown Washington and Malek's characters discussing the case throughout most of the film and peering through dark shadows with their flashlights. The film doesn't truly come alive until Jared Leto's character enters the picture, but even his arc takes a good minute to finally get the film off the ground with it mostly being finished by that point. The screenplay makes an attempt to show both the psychological and emotional toll that murder-mystery cases, as well as chasing serial killers can have on cops with both Washington and Malek's characters shown as becoming more obsessive with solving the murders, with Washingtons character becoming so engulfed in his work that he ultimately pushed aside his marriage, as well as jeopardizing his health in order to do solve a case he never got to close. Out of the two main figures, Washingtons character is shown as the one who carries the heavier emotional burden with him wanting to bring justice to the young ladies killed and showing visible frustration when he isn't able to do so. The films ending can also be read as being a confusing one for audiences with some taking it as a metaphor for the line Washington's character repeatedly stated throughout the film that it's the little things that ultimately gets one caught, along with showing it as being a main characters attempt to justify another's actions and give them hope despite the possibility that they could've very well made a fatal mistake. The latter, if so, can be seen as a problematic ending for audiences with it potentially showing the desperation that the main characters (Both of whom are Police Officers) have in covering up a mistake with them later rationalizing their decision by assuring themselves that they were in the right all along. It could also very well be that Washingtons character experienced so much guilt and remorse for the mistake his character was shown to have made through flashbacks that ruined both his career and life, that he wanted to provide his partner with hope though his final act in the story regarding a crucial piece of evidence that could potentially tie everything together. The ending for The Little Things is one that audiences aren't exactly clear on how it's meant to be read with it ultimately confusing and purposefully leaving things unresolved, rather than giving audiences the conclusion they've been expecting prior. The screenplay is full of ideas that have the potential to work as a solid thriller on its own merits with the problem being that the script leaves too much to the audiences imagination, while relying too much on the formula of other similar thrillers such as Seven to compensate for the lack of originality and freshness that's largely absent here.

      The Little Things is a film that wants to be something more significant than what it ultimately is. It certainly takes steps in that regard with its main cast delivering killer performances, along with the directing giving the film a classical neo-noir style to it. The problem with the film lies not with the performances of the actors nor the look that Hancock gives the film, but ultimately within the screenplay itself. The latter is a tragedy given the effort that the cast puts into making their characters work, along with making the story realistic and thrilling. Instead of being a great thriller on its own right, The Little Things settles for being just a watchable one solely for the performances. Both Washington and Malek are phenomenal here and hold a steady ground with Leto's performance being a scene-stealer, that helps make up for the lack of development with the films side characters surrounding the main ones. If audiences can endure sitting through a largely uneventful and dialogue driven murder mystery, that's made passable largely thanks to the strong performances of its cast, then they may be able to find some form of entertainment out of watching this film. Those looking for a brilliant edge-of-your seat thriller with masterful writing, directing, and acting should watch Seven instead as the latter is far more enjoyable and satisfying than what The Little Things turns out to be, and won't leave audiences feeling a sense of disappointment after watching it.

Final Verdict: Fans of crime thrillers or stars Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, and Jared Leto will find little to enjoy with The Little Things as the film boasts dynamic performances, but moves far too slow for audiences to care much about anything else happening.