John Lee Hancock is an American filmmaker who became known in 2002, when he directed the drama The Rookie, based on the autobiography of baseball player Jim Morris. I think he is a good director, who has in his filmography some excellent movies. In 2004 he directed The Alamo, with an outstanding cast headed by Billy Bob Thornton, Dennis Quaid and Patrick Wilson. In 2009 he obtained a resounding critical and public success with the emotional film based on true events The Blind Side, starring Sandra Bullock, who won the Oscar for her performance.

In 2016 he released what for me, is his best film, The Founder, where he tells the story of Ray Croc, the salesman who discovered the potential of McDonalds and turned it into the brand and empire it is today. Starring a huge Michael Keaton, I am fascinated by this movie. Later in 2019 comes The Highwaymen, with Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson playing two Texas Rangers on the trail of the legendary outlaw couple, Bonny and Clyde.

Hanckock is also a screenwriter and two of his most important screenplays have been directed by the master Clint Eastwood: A Perfect World and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Both films are powerful dramas, so his predilection for these stories, with characters full of conflict and ambiguity, is evident. Such are the characters in his new film, The Little Things, for which he is the screenwriter.

The film has divided the specialized critics, some consider it a too conventional police thriller, others have given it a good rating, it is not Hancock's best, but for fans of police dramas, with serial killers, it is a good option to see a story with small details that make it an interesting film.

I liked it, but I feel it lacked something, or rather, there is something that makes the narrative and story crack and fails to make an impact, not even those final twists and turns and the resolution of the conflict is totally satisfactory. Perhaps I expected something more from the director, but I'm not going to bash the film or say it's bad. It's interesting and I'm fascinated by movies about serial killers.

Despite some bad reviews, the film has been a success for Warner, which as it did with Wonder Woman and will continue to do with all its upcoming releases, was released in some theaters in the United States and at the same time on the streaming platform HBO Max. A decision that has generated much controversy among distributors and movie theaters.

According to data collected over the weekend, the film grossed approximately 4.5 million dollars, a figure that in times of covid, with most movie theaters closed, is considered a commercial success. These are the new times. We don't know when those astronomical box office figures will return. Warner has stated that it has been a success , plus it drives subscriptions to their streaming platform, where they seem to be focused on their business model.

What is the plot of The Little Things?

Joe "Deke" Deacon is a sheriff of Kern County and is ordered to go to Los Angeles to look for some evidence they need for a trial. There he will meet his old colleagues, years ago he was one of the best homicide detectives, but he retired because of an unsolved case that still haunts him. That day he will meet Jimmy Baxter, a young and excellent detective in charge of solving the deaths executed by a serial killer that keeps the city on alert. Deacon will see similarities with his old case and will establish a good relationship with Jimmy, both will investigate the murders before the FBI takes over the case and find a missing girl who seems to be in possession of the killer. Everything points to a suspect, Albert Sparma, who seems to be taunting the investigators. Is Sparma really the killer? Or is he just a pervert who has committed other crimes, but in this case is innocent? What is haunting Deacon? What happened in the past? What will be the price Jimmy Baxter must pay? Has he got the wrong man? Some of these questions may remain unanswered. The hunt for the killer has begun, just pay attention to the small details.

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The story is not very original, we could even say that it is quite predictable. A serial killer who is pursued by a group of detectives, who at first clash because of their different ways of being, but end up becoming friends and together, skirting the rules, they try to capture the villain of the film.

The director and screenwriter focuses much of the film on creating these bonds between the sheriff and the detective. Showing the personal drama of each of them. And how the story splits again, when Baxter makes a terrible mistake, which will sink him and condemn him to carry that burden for the rest of his life.

Joe Deacon is a lonely man, who retired from the Los Angeles homicide force, after suffering a heart attack, divorcing his wife and becoming obsessed with a case he could never solve, that is what apparently happened according to what his former colleagues tell us. Once a legend among detectives, it seems that now some don't like him. Is there something we don't know?

The cop has his own demons, the discovery years ago of the bodies of three young girls seems to have scarred him for the rest of his life. What happened in that investigation that destroyed his life? Now, with this new wave of crimes, committed by a serial killer, with little things similar to his old case, he will have the chance to get the redemption he craves. The killer could be the same one who killed the girls in the case that changed his life. Deacon has to solve it, to get his own pardon.

Jimmi Baxter is the young up-and-comer of the Los Angeles Police Department, the new generation of detectives who began taking over investigations in the 1990s. Married, with two beautiful young daughters, he is an educated, conservative and religious man. But the case is beyond him, there are four dead bodies and the clues lead nowhere. With Deacon's appearance, the young cop sees an opportunity to help him solve the murders that are terrorizing the city. But what will be the price to pay?

All his colleagues tell him to stay away from Deacon, even his superior warns him that Deacon is a bad influence, a broken man obsessed with an old unsolved case. But Baxter will not listen, he will establish a companionate relationship with Deacon, he knows he is a great detective, who notices the small details and together they will be able to solve the deaths and catch the killer, before the FBI arrives with agents and takes control of the investigation.

The scene where both protagonists have dinner at the home of one of them. You notice the relationship between a veteran cop, far removed from the grime of crime, working as a sheriff in a county, and the young detective, idealistic, ambitious, with a beautiful wife and family, was like a warning to me, that one of the characters would end up sunk and forced to do something against his principles. Deacon's obsession will influence Jimmy, who will end up carrying his own demons for the rest of his life.

The villain of the story we will know quickly, the alleged serial killer does not hide during the film, on the contrary, Deacon quickly discovers his main suspect. Albert Sparma, a white, working class man with the ability to switch jobs, has two vehicles with the ability to move bodies. He is a white trash who seems to avoid the crimes being committed.

Deacon's behavior, his background and small details, point in his direction. He is clearly the prime suspect. For Deacon there is no doubt, he is the serial killer, although in reality he has no solid element to confirm it, all the evidence is circumstantial. Sparma knows he is being watched and enjoys this game of cat and mouse, he knows details of the crimes that only the killer and the police know.

Deacon will convince Baxter that they are on the right track. They are both absolutely certain that he is the criminal they are looking for, and they want to find the missing woman, which he must have somewhere, and there is a possibility that she is alive. For us, the viewers, the evidence also tells us that he must be the killer. But is he really? Is Sparma the serial killer, or not? That ambiguity, which is accentuated in the final part of the film, is what I liked the most. Because there is the possibility that the detectives are wrong. In the last sequence we will get a great answer.

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I liked that the setting of the story is in the early nineties, giving entity to that noir atmosphere, carrying the investigation as it was done in the past, with a lot of paperwork and bureaucracy that makes the procedures take longer. With the computer department that began to use rudimentary computers to evaluate fingerprints and where DNA was taking its first steps in the investigations.

The cinematography is by the renowned John Schwartzman, a professional who has been nominated for an Oscar award and among his great works is the photography of the films Pearl Harbor, Armageddon Jurassic World, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Rock and Seabiscuit. Schwartzman is a friend of Hancock's and has worked with him on his previous films: Saving Mr. Banks, The Founder and The Highwaymen. Thanks to his talent, we are transported to that haunting atmosphere, with some apt scenes that take place at night. In addition, the period has been very well represented, using a large number of vehicles of the time.

The music is by the important composer Thomas Newman, son of the renowned composer Alfred Newman and also married to another music professional working in Hollywood. He has been nominated for an Oscar and his brilliant work includes the soundtrack for American Beauty, Road to Perdition and The Shawshank Redemption, among many other major Hollywood productions. The sympathies that The Little Things arouses are reminiscent of the police thrillers of the 1990s.

There is a reason to see the film in its entirety: Denzel Washington. This phenomenal actor is capable of filling the screen with his charisma. For me, it is a real pleasure to enjoy every performance of this actor. Denzel is already a Hollywood legend. In this film you can tell that he is already quite old, but every gesture, smile and look, captivates us, with any character he plays. His son is already a superstar in the Mecca of cinema, but for the moment he doesn't come close to his father.

Denzel plays Deacon, the cop tormented by a terrible mistake, who desperately seeks redemption by solving the case that made his life fall apart. Even if you don't like serial killer movies, Denzel is the best thing about the film and worth watching.

Rami Malek , my beloved actor who was fantastic in the Mister Robot series, plays Jimmy Baxter, the idealistic cop who hopes to solve the crimes and catch the serial killer, not knowing that soon his life will take a radical turn, having to carry a fatal burden on his conscience, something that will have to remain a secret forever. Malek has convinced me the least, I've seen him doing the same tips of other characters, putting the duck beak and I don't see a big change of register in his performance. I hope he does better as a villain in the James Bond movie.

Jared Leto , the fantastic actor, who I only reproach for having made a mediocre Joker in Suicide Squad, is in charge of playing Albert Sparma, the number one suspect of being the killer. He gives a good performance, his character is unpleasant, has an obnoxious physical appearance and has disturbing moments. He is a restrained character, he is well directed and the result is a believable criminal that will make us ask many questions, especially in the last act of the film. I'm glad Leto is back on the right track, because what was his Joker character and the one in the Blade Runner sequel, were not to my liking.

According to some statements by the director, the first script for the film was ready in 1993, and was offered to Steven Spielberg, who refused to direct it because he considered the plot too dark. After trying to get other prestigious directors to make it, the project was shelved, and it took twenty-five years for the film to be picked up again and made through Gran Vía Producciones and distributed by Warner.

The script was not updated, keeping the story in the nineties, so I notice many references to the style of police thrillers of the time, where there was a boom in this genre.

Trailer

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POSTER

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