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Sunday, January 9, 2022

THE LITTLE THINGS (2021)

Smooth to the point of being frictionless, there’s nothing particularly wrong with this John Lee Hancock police procedural; maybe that’s the problem.  Denzel Washington’s a small town cop back in L.A. to sign off on some evidence when he’s confronted with a new twist on the serial murder case that stopped his career & personal life cold five years ago.  Rami Malek, the new detective in charge, and nearly as single-minded & detail obsessed as Washington, may be as neatly turned out as Washington is burned out, but is he on the same path to professional & family trouble?  Especially after letting Washington return to the hunt?  With Jared Leto coming in for a grungy turn as most-likely suspect, that makes three Oscar’d leads vying for attention on what might just pass as a modest indie built for underappreciated actors.*  Even with a hat-trick of a triple-twist ultra-cynical ending, the only surprise here is noting just how tiny Malek is when seen alone by his suburban pool at the end.  Away from the careful staging Hancock uses elsewhere (platforms?; boxes?) to even out a half foot/sixty pound disadvantage, Malek looks as fragile & delicate as a Dresden figurine.  (Hey!  Maybe he’s the titular ‘Little Thing?!’)  If IMDb can be believed, Hancock first wrote this script back in the ‘90s which sounds about right.

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: Did I miss something or is there a reason for all the ‘60s Pop tunes used here?

DOUBLE-BILL/LINK:  *ONE FALSE MOVE/’92 with Bill Paxton a good example of the type.  https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2020/03/one-false-move-1992.html

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