The Little Things had plenty going for it with no less than three Academy Award winners headlining, and while Washington, Malek and Leto all give fine performances, the film fails as a crime-drama and as a character-drama.
The Little Things
(2021)
Genre(s): Suspense/Thriller, Drama, Crime
Warner Bros.| R – 128 min. – $35.99 | May 4, 2021
Date Published: 05/01/2021 | Author: The Movieman
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Warner Bros. Studios Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 3/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: Kern County Deputy Sheriff Joe “Deke” Deacon (DENZEL WASHINGTON) is sent to Los Angeles for what should be a quick evidence-gathering assignment. Instead, he becomes embroiled in the search for a serial killer who is terrorizing the city. Leading the hunt, L.A. Sheriff’s Department Sergeant Jim Baxter (RAMI MALEK), impressed with Deke’s cop instincts, unofficially engages his help. But as they track a suspect (JARED LETO), Baxter is unaware that the investigation is dredging up echoes of Deke’s past, uncovering disturbing secrets that could threaten more than his case.
Quick Hit Review: The Little Things is a movie that doesn’t really break any new ground. The story, and to be blunt, direction comes straight out of the mid 1990s, but instead of having some B-level cast, instead you get no less than three Academy Award winners. Denzel Washington, Rami Malek and Jared Leto all give fine performances, Leto in particular is quite creepy, and thanks to the three, the movie makes for a passably entertaining time but it’s also rather forgettable, the type of movie that deserved to be seen at first on HBO Max (for free with membership) rather than in theaters. The film was written and directed by John Lee Hancock, a decent enough filmmaker though a bit unremarkable career that included movies like The Alamo, The Blind Side, Saving Mr. Banks and The Founder, all films I have seen over the years and all of which I found to be… fine.
If not for the star power, The Little Things would’ve gone straight-to-DVD for an eventual bargain discount price. And it is a bit of a shame, I like these actors and normally crime-dramas are right in my wheelhouse for entertainment (which is why I generally have enjoyed shows like Criminal Minds and CSI), however this is one that, even being passable, was a disappointment. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2/5 |
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This release comes with a matted slip cover and inside a redemption code for the Digital HD copy. There isn’t a whole lot here, just two featurettes: The Little Things: Four Shades of Blue (9:22) and A Contrast in Styles (7:54), the first is just a look at Washington’s career portraying police in Warner Bros cop films, while the second does have some behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the cast and director discussing the characters. |
VIDEO – 4½/5 |
| The Little Things comes to Blu-ray presented in the original 2.40 widescreen aspect ratio and a 1080p high-definition transfer. The movie itself is pretty dark, both in terms of tone and just how it was shot, plus good portion takes place at night or in darkly lit interior settings. As such, colors are tapped down however detail is relatively sharp throughout for both close-ups and some distant shots and there were no noticeable instances of artifacting or aliasing. Black levels appear stark without seeming crushed. |
AUDIO – 4¼/5 |
| The disc comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 which isn’t the strongest, but the movie is mostly dialogue driven with some minor depth for Thomas Newman’s low key score as well as some nice oldies music that is thrown in here and there (like “I Will Follow Him”), however it’s nothing incredible, yet satisfactory enough. From my ears, this is a bit more dynamic compared with how I watched via HBO Max a few months back. |
OVERALL – 3/5 |
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The Little Things had plenty going for it with no less than three Academy Award winners headlining, and while Washington, Malek and Leto all give fine performances, Leto especially was creepy, the film fails as a crime-drama and as a character-drama. Instead it’s forgettable. |
Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.