On this snowy day in the U.S. northeast, here's a quick movie tip: If you enjoy crime thrillers in either book or movie form or both, you might like The Little Things, which was just released simultaneously in U.S. theaters (the ones that are open, anyway) and on HBO Max. While not slow or dull, the literary nature of the story in reminiscent of a good thriller novel, one with interesting characters and thoughtful themes.
The story involves a hotshot detective (Rami Malek) looking for a killer of young women, who is not making much headway until he teams with an old-timer detective (Denzel Washington). The two meet in an unrelated, minor police matter, and the hotshot (refreshingly, in a movie like this) is not territorial and welcomes the experience and perspective of the older detective. Soon they have a suspect, a definitely creepy appliance repairman (Jared Leto). But though unambiguously weird and creepy, is he a killer?
Written and directed by John Lee Hancock, the story moves along nicely but is ultimately a vehicle to examine how the police- through these characters- feel about failures in past cases, what lines should and shouldn't be crossed in police work, how to handle yourself if you do cross a line or just make a tragic mistake, and other psychological issues related to being a cop.
Some people might not like the slow-burn nature of the story (it takes its time and there isn't much physical action) and the fact that all questions aren't neatly answered. And we're also not clearly told how to feel about some of the controversial decisions some characters make. But if you don't mind these things, and in fact welcome the nuance they bring to the story, then you'll probably find The Little Things worth your time.
The Little Things is currently in theaters and will be streaming on HBO Max until the end of February.
No comments:
Post a Comment