PROVOKR PICK: THE LITTLE THINGS
Washington, Malek, + Leto in a Dark Thriller
It may have taken writer/director John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side) nearly thirty years to make his latest film, The Little Things, but he managed it. Now, we don’t mean that this movie has been in literal production for the last three decades, but Hancock wrote the script for his newest drama thirty years ago and it took until just recently to get made. That’s partially because he initially wrote the script for Steven Spielberg to direct, finding the content too dark, Spielberg passed on the project. It then made its way into the hands of Clint Eastwood, Warren Beatty, and Danny DeVito before Hancock decided to direct the project himself.
Set in the 1990s, The Little Things follows Kern County Deputy Sheriff Joe “Deke” Deacon (Denzel Washington) who finds himself having to team up with LAPD detective Jim “Jimmy” Baxter (Rami Malek) to hunt down a serial killer who is murdering women. Jared Leto delivers a truly unhinged, and terrifying performance as the suspected killer, Albert Sparna, who gets his kicks taunting the two law enforcement officials. As Deke and Jimmy continue their quest to bring Sparna down, Deke’s willingness to bend the rules threatens to derail Jimmy’s future. And a dark secret from Deke’s past, one that waylaid his own career, lingers menacingly in the background.
If pitch-black serial killer movies are your cup of tea, then this is surely for you. This dark detective story is perfect for fans of David Fincher’s Se7en or Nic Pizzolatto’s True Detective (particularly season 1). In addition to Washington, Malek, and Leto, The Little Things also stars Natalie Morales, Terry Kinney, Chris Bauer, and Sofia Vassilieva.
The Little Things, which is being distributed by Warner Bros., is scheduled to come out simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max on January 29, 2021.
