The Little Things is one heck of a somber, slow, gloomy, ugly bit of film that reminds me of the end of Burn After Reading: what did we learn here? What was this about? Was it as nihilistic and defeatist as it seems? Was that what they were trying to say?

The film has a good cast… Denzel Washington and Rami Malek team up to track down a serial killer. He shows up half-way through, but they are joined by Jake Gyllenhaal as the prime suspect: a weird, casual, smart man who toys with them as though it’s a game… or as if he’s seen all the cop shows before and finds this kind of fun.

I’d say the movie is certainly well acted… and that it’s ultimately well written even though the villain character might set some people’s teeth on edge. He’s a fine example of a character you think you might want in a cop drama… but actually getting him is a little annoying. The film is kind of slow and kind of tedious at times… and then it manages to ratchet up some good suspense and drama. It’s a frustrating watch since it’s constantly hovering on the edge of being terrible and good.

I’m not thinking this is a reason to keep HBO Max and I’m kind of surprised this was originally going to be a theatrical release. It doesn’t feel like it would have fit at the theaters… but I’m not sure where it fits in the history of film either. Just kind of an off, weird, cynical cop drama that has a message but it ain’t a happy one. Kind of worth checking out if you want some challenging, dark drama… but it might not work for you.

Score: 75