MOVIE REVIEW: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (18)

By Richard Mooney

Have you been to the barbers recently? Fall through a trap door did you? Had your throat slit in a shaving ‘accident’? Notice that you’re now being turned into mince pie?

And all the while Johnny Depp is doing a great David Bowie impersonation…. Chances are you just paid a visit to Sweeney Todd. Based on the previous musicals of the same name, Tim Burton’s gothic re-incarnation of the Demon Barber is a near masterpiece of filmmaking. Johnny Depp stars as the serial killer Benjamin Barker/ Sweeney Todd in this tragic tale of revenge and sorrow. After returning to London from 15 years in exile Benjamin Barker adopts the murderous, cold blooded persona of Sweeney Todd. With his wife presumed dead and daughter in the hands of the man who exiled him, Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman), Todd embarks on a homicidal path of random killings and revenge. Story continues ADVERTISEMENT Sweeney Todd is a musical before anything else and in this respect it is a joy to listen too. The entire cast put in a great vocal performance, but it is Depp and Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett who stand out. Depp in particular sounds fantastic; he’s like a mixture between Cliff Richard, John Lennon and David Bowie. Sacha Baron Cohen, better known Ali G, Borat and Bruno, has a brilliant cameo role as Signor Adolfo Pirelli. His shave-off showdown with Depp is one of the highlights of the movie. Depp is ideally cast as the brooding and twisted Todd. He gives a darker edge to the character and also makes him appear funny at times. One problem however was that at several points throughout the movie he did begin to sound very much like Jack Sparrow. This aside, Sweeny Todd is some of Depp’s best work and he most definitely deserves the Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. London looks gritty, grand, grimy and gothic; typical Burton. Gloom and doom is the main theme in the environment here and it seems to look very much like a Victorian era Gotham city. Burton has pulled out all the stops here to produce another one of his ghastly wonders. His use of blood and gore is just right, making it seem almost subtly beautiful.  With the winter blockbusters almost over, this is the first must see movie of 2008. It looks as if Gillette aren’t the closest shave you can get you can get anymore….. Pcitures from the Sweeney Todd Myspace.

Top  Back