Directed by: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jamie Campbell Bower
Classification: 18
It's rare to find a creative partnership in Hollywood that lasts beyond a couple of films, so it's nice to see Tim Burton and Johnny Depp teaming up for the sixth time since they made Edward Scissorhands back in 1990. Here, they use the Broadway musical as the inspiration for their take on the urban legend of Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Fleet Street.
Sweeney Todd tells the story of Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp), a barber in the East End of London who enjoys life with his beautiful wife, Lucy, and baby daughter, Johanna. Unfortunately the dastardly Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) envies this life and uses his magisterial clout to have Benjamin transported to Australia. Whilst there, bitterness and anger twist him into the new figure of Sweeney Todd, and he returns to London hell-bent on revenge. Setting up shop above Mrs Lovett's failing pie shop (Mrs Lovett being played by Helena Bonham Carter), they soon come up with a novel way of reviving her business while Todd plots the downfall of the judge. Alongside this main plot runs a second sub-plot, in which Todd's seafaring companion Anthony (Jamie Campbell Bower) falls in love with Johanna and seeks to free her from Turpin's clutches.
It's a fairly simple plot, and most people know the basics of the Sweeney Todd legend as it circulates throughout pop culture and local history. However, Tim Burton's vision of Sweeney Todd derives from the musical, not the original penny dreadful series that brought the name to fame in the Victorian era. Those who have read the resultant novel may therefore notice the absence of several plot points that never made it into the musical. Still, it makes for a cracking yarn and the omittances don't detract from the overall story.
Sweeney Todd is essentially a story of unrequited love, the unbalanced nature of Victorian society, and of a man twisted almost beyond recognition by his uncontrollable desire for revenge. Naturally, they're all good ingredients for a decent musical, although I must confess I've never really heard of a vicious slasher musical before! Still, the film is bloody enough to satisfy the tastes of even the most ardent slasher fan, while still full of enough Broadway interludes to keep the more musical enthusiasts happy. Bonham Carter is an absolute joy as Mrs Lovett, playing a woman down on her luck but eager to make the most of any situation if she feels fortune has begun to smile in her direction. Her love for Todd goes completely unnoticed by him, and her affection for her young employee Toby is indeed touching. Rickman is his usual sinister self, and even if his depiction of the villainous judge bears a lot in common with Professor Snape and the Sheriff of Nottingham, he's still a delight to watch. Sacha Baron Cohen's turn as the flamboyant Italian barber turned blackmailer is thoroughly enjoyable. Depp himself is as watchable as ever as Todd but there's something slightly lacking in his performance, as if the spark that made characters like Jack Sparrow, Agent Sands, Willy Wonka and Inspector Abbeline so unique is somehow dampened by his having to sing instead of conventionally act.
It's a visual treat, as Burton soaks the screen in monochromatic blacks and greys to highlight the squalor and deprivation of London's East End, which also serves to underscore the brilliance of the red which liberally spurts across our field of vision. The blood takes on an almost theatrical feel, more akin to the striking red pools favoured by Italian horror maestro Dario Argento than the usual fake blood of Hollywood. The blood is highlighted even more by the occasional flashes of comedy that serve to puncture the air of malice and villainy. It sounds strange to describe such a film in this fashion, but it's a gorgeous film that revels in its theatricality and Broadway origins, whilst staying true to the uber-Gothic vision of Burton. It also makes a nice change from the current cinematic fare, standing behind the door like the bloodsoaked barber himself, waiting to hack into the more genteel Oscar contenders that happen to pass by.
Totally worth seeing, especially on the big screen. 4/5