The Little Things
2021 · Directed by John Lee Hancock
Original language: English
- drama
- crime
- thriller
The story
Deputy Sheriff Joe "Deke" Deacon joins forces with Sgt. Jim Baxter 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.
What it’s like
Grimy, sun-washed Los Angeles rendered in cold, low-key tones: overcast daylight bleeding into stained interiors, the sickly yellow of sodium streetlamps, dim motel rooms and cramped squad cars where the light never quite warms. Director John Lee Hancock favors patient, locked-off framing and slow dollies through crime scenes, so the eye lingers on evidence boards, rain-slick asphalt and faces half-lit in shadow. The score is sparse and tense, built on low strings and long silences that let a single footstep or ringing phone carry weight. The mood is bleak, watchful and paranoid, a cat-and-mouse unease that tightens gradually rather than erupting. Pacing is deliberate, with long procedural stretches of interviews and surveillance punctuated by sudden, brief bursts of violence; the murders are shown with restraint but the aftermath is unsparing, and there is real dread throughout. Best suited to late-night viewing alone or a grey weekend when you want a slow-burning, character-driven thriller. Its emotional register is heavy and morally uneasy, following two men whose partnership becomes a mirror for their own buried damage. For viewers who enjoy adult crime dramas in the vein of brooding, atmospheric police procedurals, not those seeking gentleness.
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