By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
Oscar winners
Denzel Washington, Rami Malek and Jared Leto are a formidable force in
“The Little Things,” a suspenseful and crafty, psychological thriller set in the 1990s from director/ screenwriter/producer
John Lee Hancock (“The Blind Side” and “Saving Mr. Banks”).
N2Entertainment.net recently attended a Virtual Press interview session with Washington, Malek, Leto and Hancock and they discussed all the ins and outs of making the movie.
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In “The Little Things,” Washington plays Joe “Deke” Deacon, a Kern County California Sheriff’s deputy who used to be
the man; a top-notch homicide detective in Los Angeles, until he got caught up in one of his cases. It still haunts him.
Now, “Deke” is divorced and lives a relatively quiet life and seems to have accepted his fate as a deputy sheriff away from the pressure cooker that is Los Angeles.
However, when his boss asks him to go to LA to pick up some evidence regarding a homicide case, he reluctantly heads back to his former office where he finds a few of his old buddies still around like detective Sal Rizoli (Chris Bauer, TV’s “Homeland”). While Sal is happy to see “Deke” other cops aren’t, especially Captain Carl Farris (a terrific Terry Kinney, TV’s “Inventing Anna”).
These two have some history together. You’ll see.
Captain Farris wants “Deke” to get his information and leave. However, the department’s new, handsome, hotshot detective Jimmy Baxter (Malek) is trying to keep the city calm while they search for a serial killer.
Jimmy could use all the help he can get even from an outsider like “Deke.” Jimmy knows about “Deke” and how good a detective he is.
While Jimmy and “Deke” don’t hit it off too well initially, they soon find themselves inextricably drawn together and relying on each other’s skillsets to find this killer as the body count starts to rise.
“Deke’s” old school ways combined with Jimmy’s methodical approach begins to pay off as leads pop up surrounding the cases and they hone in on a prime suspect named Albert Sparma (A fantastic Jared Leto).
He’s a creepy guy that looks like a younger version of Charles Manson. Albert may or may not be the serial killer, but he sure loves the attention and turns Jimmy and “Deke’s” investigation into a cat-and-mouse game.
While it’s tough to turn away from the three main leads in “The Little Things,” the film’s supporting cast delivers too, particularly Michael Hyatt (TV’s “The Comey Rule”) as the coroner, Frederick Koehler (TV’s “Marisa Romanov”), Judith Scott (TV’s “All-American”), Isabel Arraiza (TV’s “Prodigal Son”) and Sofia Vassilieva (“Brighton Beach”) who sets “The Little Things” in motion.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays at 6:20 p.m. on radio station KFBK 93.1 FM and 1530 AM.
Watch This Trailer For
"THE LITTLE THINGS"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics' Association (BFCA), The Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC) and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.
