‘The Little Things’ boasts powerhouse lineup – Post Register

The newest film release in the country is expected to begin its run at the Blackfoot Movie Mill on Friday, and from all expected reports, will most likely be a box office hit, no matter what the reviews are.

It is a dark and sinister film about a serial killer and the two law enforcement officers who are chasing him and trying to capture him.

When you add three, yes three, Academy Award winners in the three lead roles of this film, you have every reason to believe that it will be blockbuster of immense proportions, especially when those three actors are Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, and Jared Leto.

The film opens in the 1990s with Joe Deke Deacon, played by Washington, as a sheriffs deputy, five years into a stint in Kern County, California, following his release from the police department following a botched murder investigation when he was a homicide detective in Los Angeles.

While a menial errand finds Deke back in his old stomping grounds just as a new series of killings are beginning, Deke crosses paths with Jimmy Baxter, played by Rami Malek, who just happens to be the lead investigator and the two join forces to narrow the search for the murderer.

On paper, casting Washington and Malek as the veteran/rookie archetypes makes sense and the chemistry and mutual respect between the two keeps the film interesting. While the killers identity and Dekes past are shrouded in mystery, the film meanders primarily between those lines, leaving Maleks Jimmy as the window into Dekes thinking and his personal reason for wanting to catch this murderer too little explored.

The shame is that Jimmys slick confidence, ambition, and occasionally explosive temper give Malek a few opportunities to upstage Washington, which is no easy feat. While the abilities of the three actors dont quite fit the characters, all three give admirable performances to keep the audience well in tune to the plot and exploits of all three.

The introduction of Letos character, Albert Sparma, into the film is what basically saves it from becoming a potential disaster and his ability to intertwine with Washington and Malek keeps the film alive thanks to an unwavering commitment to being as off-putting as possible.

Leto, when being interrogated by Washington and Malek, keeps both of them off balance with his request and recital of his Fifth Amendment rights.

One truly interesting scene is when Washington creates a dialogue with a corpse, discussing the little things, those that can trip up an assailant, or that come forth and complete an investigation and reveals who the culprit actually is.

More could have been done to introduce the different victims better and really get the investigators involved with how the victims had lived and died rather than just leave them as so much dressing on the cutting room floor.

A good film, but not as great as it could have been, but then again, the script was originally introduced nearly 30 years ago and I am sure that some things have dropped through the cracks of the floor.

On a scale of 1-5, this film is easily a 4 and possibly even higher based upon the acting of the three leads.

This film opens at the Blackfoot Movie Mill Friday and should be a major focus of the activity that surrounds the Movie Mill this weekend.

As always, we recommend that you visit the Movie Mill at their website at http://www.royaltheaters.com to ensure your favorite seat is available and that you can get the exact showtimes for the film you wish to see.

Please, if it makes you more comfortable, wear your mask or face covering while in the theater and by all means, enjoy your show!

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'The Little Things' boasts powerhouse lineup - Post Register