THE LITTLE THINGS

“Honey, do you want to watch the new movie, The Little Things? Weston and Katie are going to take us!” (Vivian)

“I don’t know. Is it going to be masks and extreme social distancing?” (Don)

“No, we four are going to watch it on our living room ‘big screen’ television, because it is opening and being released on HBO MAX and in area theaters at the same time!” (Vivian)

“O. K. sure—let me check the fireplace’s burning logs, pour myself a Dr. Pepper 10, and curl up comfortably in the recliner.” (Don)

Directed by John Lee Hancock (also the writer), Denzel Washington (Joe “Deke” Deacon) is the focal character of this movie, but Rami Malek (“Jim Baxter”), Chris Bauer (“Detective Sal Rizoli”), Jared Leto (“Albert Sparma”), Michael Hyatt (“Flo Dunigan”), Natalie Morales (“Detective Jamie Estrada”), and Terry

Kinney (“Captain Carl Farris”) are also valuable contributors to the over-all success.

This CRIME DRAMA is the #1 movie at North American box offices even though it is also “streaming” on HBO Max—a double whammy that was somewhat expected but not totally, since it was issued two ways!

This old-fashioned crime drama thriller is about a “serial killer” we might have viewed in the “older days,” and as you see the vehicles and the buildings, it is pretty easy to decide the movie surroundings look like it is the late ‘80s to early ‘90s without the ever-present cell phones of today and the intrusions of social medias!

I liked this movie and have always liked this type— loads of action and atmosphere, a protagonist who seems to be in charge but also seems troubled, grisly and disturbing killings, at least one younger “partner/ side-kick” who is “learning the ropes”—sometimes the hard ways, and enough turns in the activity process to keep me wondering, even when I sort of think I have it figured out!

Denzel, who is certainly not “The Preacher’s Son or Daughter,” is Joe Deacon, who is now just a deputy in California and makes it easy to ascertain that he at one time “must have been more” and still would like to be the man in charge, even though some of the other characters still admire him, while others hold him in disdain.

And, the action starts when we figure out that he wants to solve the rash of serial killings that are going unsolved. But, his demeanor is clouded when he sees corpses at night and thinks he sees corpses staring at him!

But, the young, supposedly “hotshot,” homicide detective (Baxter) soon comes to admire “Deke” and unofficially asks for his help in solving the deaths of the several young women and learns from the “experienced” “dethroned” cop that he must “take note of ‘the little things’” if he expects to solve cases.

I am not going to tell you any more, but be sure to note that “demons” are at least partially revealed, and there is definitely an ending. Whether you like it or not depends upon what you expect and how you feel about “hard choices” and “partial truths” that may be best left partial.

Oh, yeah, the movie opens with a young girl in her car being stalked by a super aggressive motorist on a basically deserted highway, and she runs out into the highway in front of a fast-approaching “big rig.” So, don’t get to the theatre or tune in late!

The film has received “average” critical reviews from the so-called experts and about “B” ratings by audiences, but both recommend viewing it. The four of us rate it a little higher than the above and would probably watch it again to see what he missed the first time. Running time is 2 hours and 7 minutes, and it is correctly rated an “R.” Comfortable as we were in our own chairs, no one “drifted off,” not even for just a blink or two!