Cinephile № 867 “The Little Things

Recommendation: 3/5 STREAM

Plot: “Kern County Deputy Sheriff Joe Deacon is sent to Los Angeles for what should have been a quick evidence-gathering assignment. Instead, he becomes embroiled in the search for a serial killer who is terrorizing the city.” -IMDB

Review: “The Little Things” is a three-piece character study. Joe “Deke” Deacon (Denzel Washington) is a complex man returning to his roots with a need to feed his addiction for detective work. Jim Baxter (Rami Malek) is the new shining star in the darkened sky of the LAPD. Albert Sparma (Jared Leto) is part fan-boy, an obsessive observer of true crime, and seemingly guilty. With intrigue built from the beginning, our job, as an audience, is to unravel the tension between these three men, sort truth from false narratives, and find innocence where we can. This task is easier said than done.

Much like 1995’s “Seven” this is also a story about the changing of the guard. This becomes apparent as we watch the relationship between Deacon and Baxter unravel and wound themselves up again. The similarities to “Seven” do not end there. Much like that film, both men in this story are addicted to their craft and seem to easily find themselves enraptured by their work. Finally, much like the 1995 thriller, this film forces you to pay attention to the smallest of details, because this film is…