“It’s the little things that get you caught,” Deke, played by Denzel Washington, tells Rami Malek’s character, Jimmy. “It’s the little things that rip you apart. ” Unfortunately, I found that second sentiment particularly resonant as I watched “The Little Things.”
“The Little Things” had a phenomenal trailer, very nuanced, well lit, choreographed, acted, and most importantly, well-edited. Of course, the trailer was only two minutes long. How does the actual film, which is over two hours long, compare? Surely any movie that expands on the technical prowess and acting chops that the trailer set up will be fantastic! The movie does expand on all of the pieces the trailer introduced – in doing so, “The Little Things” takes one step forward and two steps back. Admittedly, the movie looks good visually; the cinematography is appropriately moody, with dim lighting for most of the running time that casts an ominous shadow over its characters.
The acting, too, is incredible. I’ve seen mixed reviews on Rami Malek’s acting in this movie, but I thought he was great, if a little mumbly, which did make it hard to understand him (thank you subtitles). Denzel Washington is, as always, superb. He puts on a quiet performance here that takes its time with viewers. You can tell there’s something below this character that’s waiting to bubble up. Denzel is a professional, and he acts like one; every word out of his mouth feels believable, every action he takes feels realistic for his character. Watching him and Malik collaborate to catch a killer is genuinely entertaining. Deke sucks Jimmy into his obsessive mindset, and it’s interesting watching both of them fall deeper into the rabbit hole they’ve dug for themselves.
