Review: ‘Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’

8 comments January 28th, 2008

I’m not a big fan of musicals, and I’ve never seen the stage version of “Sweeney Todd.” But I liked the movie. I liked it a lot, in fact.

But I want to warn potential viewers of two things:

1. It definitely is a musical. This might sound obvious, but most of the commercials I’ve seen emphasize Johnny Depp and director Tim Burton, but don’t dwell on the fact that this is the same “Sweeney Todd” who carved a bloody path through Broadway years ago, and most — if not all — of the Stephen Sondheim songs remain intact. Don’t be surprised when people start singing right off the bat.

2. It’s bloody. Really, really bloody. Again, this might seem obvious given the R rating and constant prescence of straight razors, but “Sweeney Todd” is a gory little movie. Plenty of throats get slit, and Burton doesn’t skimp on the stage blood. If you’re think it’s going to be “Chicago” or “Dreamgirls,” think again.

That being said, ”Todd” entertained me from beginning to end. The story is simple: A London barber wants revenge against a corrupt judge and, eventually, he gets it. With its smog-shrouded London location and darker-than-dark humor, Burton was the perfect director for the movie. He’s had his good days (”Ed Wood,” “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure,” “Edward Scissorhands”) and his bad (um, “Planet of the Apes”), but this is Burton at his best, bringing a surreal intensity to a story that truly deserves it.

Depp is perfect for the title role, and even if he doesn’t have the strongest singing voice in the world, he makes it work wonders here. When downshifts those vocals into a growl, it’s a chilling, thrilling moment. Helena Bonham Carter, looking more ”Fight Club” than ”Howard’s End,” is both creepy and kindly as meat-pie maker Mrs. Lovett. And the rest of the cast — Alan Rickman as the judge, Sacha Baron Cohen (yes, Borat) as a rival barber and Ed Sanders as a weird little kid with a taste for gin — are all fine, too. But the real star here is the grimy, ghastly city of London that Burton and Co. create. It’s a setting that makes you wonder why everyone doesn’t go mad and reach for the nearest straight razor.

“Sweeny Todd” really packs a wallop in the last act, when Todd’s plans finally come to fruition — and horribly, horribly backfire. What I thought was going to be a pleasant little black comedy turns into a wonderfully over the top slice of grand guignol, with Todd dropping his sad, mopey facade and becoming the monster he was always meant to be, bless his dark little heart.

 Anyone else see it? What did you think?