Review of The Little Things
midlandsmovies • March 13, 2021
The Little Things (2021) Dir. John Lee Hancock [possible minor spoilers]
A triple-whammy of Oscar-winning actors (Denzel Washington, Rami Malek and Jared Leto) star in a new crime thriller that sees two detectives in the 90s investigating a series of murders around Los Angeles.
With overt influences from 1995’s Seven, we get an experienced cop (Washington as “Deke” Deacon) who has left the LAPD for a smaller force after a heart attack and his own murky history. The new hot shot is Remi Malek as Jimmy Baxter (taking the Brad Pitt role) whose smarmy exterior clashes with Deke’s old school methodical style.
Seeing a pattern between one of Deke’s old cases and a current spate of killings, they stumble upon suspect Albert Sparma (Jared Leto) who taunts the officers after becoming the prime person of interest.
Again, like Seven, our cocky lead is later shown not to be in control of the situation as he’d like as we roll through the standard beats of a multiple-murder movie. However, much unlike Seven, it’s quite obvious from the outset who the culprit could be and so the obvious mystery element needed for police procedural flicks is pretty much absent. Detective Deke’s own secret is perhaps a more interesting angle the film could have focused on.
And like his previous film The Highwaymen, Hancock’s central plot has huge aspects of potential but the slow pacing and lack of intrigue hurts this film much like that one. Jared Leto is the film’s highlight, as he appears to be having a ball delivering arrogant retorts as the overconfident accused, whilst the film’s dark score captivates when the film does not.
A one-note thriller with only a few thrills, The Little Things may pull you into the case on the basis of the three fantastic actors. But aside from these performances, you’d have to be a heck of a detective to find anything truly original, and ultimately fascinating in this average Fincher facsimile.
★★½
Michael Sales
Eulogy Directed by Olly Poulter 2026 Daylight Moon Films Eulogy is a new Midlands-made flick exploring an Al Palliative care robot called ‘PAL’ set in the not too distant future. Strangely, our second review of a Midlands film called Eulogy in 2 weeks, this takes a distinctively different angle with its roots in science fiction and the unsteady progress of future technology. We are introduced to Noah (Barry Smith), a music teacher who shares the bad news that he is terminally ill with his son Luke. Unable to be physically present to help, Luke promises he will do all he can and before too long a large wooden box is posted to Noah’s home. Inside is a robot PAL. As Noah becomes increasingly debilitated, his one escape is a tape of Clair de Lune by Debussy that mentally takes him to a calmer place. After activating PAL, the robot explains how it will help during this difficult time with reminders and medications. However, PAL’s monotone voice is at odds with his supposed care. And its comparison with HAL, the murderous AI from Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey is front and centre. Eulogy is an interesting piece from the outset. A unique idea is set up well with no fuss and some great editing to get to its central dissection of automation and the human condition. The deftly-written script from Ben Thomas and Rory Rawson highlights Luke’s absence without ever over-explaining, or over-egging, its messages. Noah’s ‘calm place’ of meditation soon has the dark clouds rolling in and we begin to see the disconnect between the loving care he so desperately craves and the cold unfeeling nature of PAL. One area of improvement is the PAL himself. Obvious budgetary constraints means we’re not getting Hollywood CGI here but the Daft Punk head feels the only mechanical feature in a body suit that looks well, like a body suit. Perhaps a few more Cosplay style fake mechanical additions in foam would have added a little more to the costume to avoid the Elon Musk “android” man-in-a-onesie look. That said, actor XXX does a good Peter ‘Robocop’ Weller performance given the constraints as the outfit does kind of underpin the central theme of human-like automation. And Barry Smith emotional performance is a good blend of coping and fear. And as we jump months ahead and Noah’s health is failing, the need for a eulogy with his impending death approaching is farmed out to PAL as Luke becomes entirely unavailable. And a religious (and Star Trek-infused) farewell rounds off the film in a satisfying way. I really enjoyed Eulogy. Olly Poulter has done a top-class job with this 20-minute short and the fascinating narrative is delivered incredibly artfully with some outstanding editing and visuals to boot. With impressive cinematic construction and an engrossing plot, Eulogy is a grand accomplishment. And we hope our own written tribute to this memorable piece captures the film’s splendid skill and wonderful story that questions morality and dignity. ★★★★★ 5 / 5 Michael Sales Instagram / Facebook / X @midlandsmovies
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