“It’s the little things that are important, Jimmy. It’s the little things that get you caught.”
Joe Deacon
An unusual police drama in which much of the mystery emerges at the end rather than the start, The Little Things‘ strength is that it doesn’t do things by the Hollywood book. There is, for example, only ever really one suspect. With three Oscar-winning leads, the acting performances add weight to a script that demands some suspension of disbelief. Washington and Malek are both restrained, with emotions that we can read beneath the surface but controlled and professional in their actions. Leto is the weakest of the three, seeming to lean heavily toward his Joker portrayal. The film’s ending is disquietingly inconclusive; I see that as a strength which suits its tone but some viewers will find it dissatisfying. Ultimately The Little Things is made for those who appreciate mood and tone rather than those who want a logically-driven whodunnit.
7/10
