The Little Things is HBO Max’s upcoming crime thriller written and directed by John Lee Hancock (The Highwaymen, The Blind Side), and featuring a stellar cast that’s headed up by the Oscar-winning trio of Denzel Washington, Jared Leto, and Rami Malek.
It’s a movie with a lot of history behind it, as Hancock wrote the first draft for the movie nearly thirty years ago and it’s seen big name directors like Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, and Warren Beatty all circling the project at some point. It’ll also be the first movie that tests Warner Bros. new simultaneous cinema/HBO Max release model that was abruptly announced late last year, much to the surprise and consternation of the industry.
Washington stars as a veteran county sheriff’s deputy with a chequered past who teams up with a by-the-book Los Angeles police detective (Malek) to investigate a serial killer targeting young women in the city. The pair soon narrow in on a suspect (Leto), but not only is finding evidence against him nigh impossible, but he also begins to engage them in a twisted game of cat-and-mouse – one that threatens to dredge up more than anyone expected.
The plot synopsis is as follows:
Deputy Sheriff Joe “Deke” Deacon (Denzel Washington) joins forces with Sgt. Jim Baxter (Rami Malek) to search for a serial killer who’s terrorizing Los Angeles. As they track the culprit, Baxter is unaware that the investigation is dredging up echoes of Deke’s past, uncovering disturbing secrets that could threaten more than his case.
Let’s take a look:
This looks like a superb crime thriller – it seems well directed with a tense and understated score, three excellent actors all delivering compelling performances, and an intriguing cat-and-mouse game being played as the twisting and turning plot unravels. What more could you want from a crime thriller?
What do you think?
The Little Things will premiere in US theatres on 29 January, and will also being available for streaming via HBO Max for one month. It also stars Sofia Vassilieva, Tom Hughes, Natalie Morales, Chris Bauer, and Terry Kinney.
Last Updated: January 12, 2021
