Denzel Washington gets plenty of credit for his acting skills, directing abilities and being a force for good in the community but he’s curiously underrated as film noir lead. Washington has some bangers in his filmography: The Bone Collector, Fallen, Devil in a Blue Dress. His steady demeanor lets the audience know they’re in good hands, even when the script falters. Like Bogie did, many decades ago.
The Little Things deserves to be in this group. Washington is Deke, a small town policeman in pursuit a serial killer. As he travels to Los Angeles to collect evidence, we discover Deke used to be a big-shot investigator in L.A. until he had to abandon the fast line because reasons. As most obsessively good detectives, Deke is haunted by the cases he failed to solve, particularly one that bears striking similarities to the investigation he’s conducting.
Things hit a new gear when Deke strikes a begrudging partnership with the new rising star in the department, Jim Baxter (Rami Malek). Their collaboration produces a likely suspect, a socially awkward loner (Jared Leto) with a taste for true crime, but no evidence to link him to the crimes.
You may think you know where the movie is going. The similarities with Se7en can’t possibly be accidental. But then The Little Things does something more interesting than pin the blame on Kevin Spacey: it rips the ‘social contract’ thrillers have with the audience.
The movie dares to ask, why do you trust these men? Because they’re sharp and play by their own rules? Because they’re portrayed by likable actors? If the last few months have taught us something is that the thin blue line is more warped than imagined and Hollywood is taking notice.
It’s not just the plot that works. Writer/director John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side) stages several scenes loaded with tension and plays with your expectations like a fiddle. In addition to Washington’s reliability, Jared Leto is unnerving as the person of interest. Leto is at his best when restrained (see Dallas Buyers Club) and here he keeps the crazy just at bay.
There’s a chance The Little Things may be a notch frustrating for moviegoers accustomed to more traditional fare, but if you keep an open mind, you may be pleasantly surprised. Three and a half prairie dogs.
The Little Things opens Friday in available theatres and VOD.