Eyes of the corrupt Judge Turpin played deliciously by the deviant Alan Rickman befall simple barber Benjamin Barker and his beautiful wife. The judge has Barker sent to prison for a crime he doesn’t commit, takes his wife then raises Barker’s daughter as his own. After being released, Sweeney Todd emerges from prison and the former shell of Barker to seek revenge on all those who conspired to take away his life.
The story is simple; bittersweet revenge, a lot of bloodletting and pie eating. Sweeney hooks up with Mrs. Lovett and her pie shop that no one ever eats at. The two conspire together after she remembers his tale and tells of his wife being poisoned and the judge holding his daughter as his own.
Attempting to rekindle his clientele, Sweeney meets the brilliant Sascha Baron Cohen at a street assembly and has a shave-off. Whoever shaves the cleanest and fastest claims victory as the best barber of Fleet Street. Sweeney wins the challenge and soon gains many customers and begins slitting their throats. Mrs. Lovett subsequently churns their bodies into meat pies and serves them to the upper crust denizens of London. As Borat would say, ‘Nice!’
Revenge has truly never sounded so sweet as Tim Burton’s love letter to gothic horror.
Sweeney Todd delivers on every level and takes the musical to the next evolution. After seeing a brief cameo by Anthony Stewart Head (Buffy’s Giles) and hearing whispers behind me…”That’s the guy in Repo! The Genetic Opera” (due April 25), I enjoyed this film’s touches even more.
Burton and Depp together has been gold for the past 18 years and this film brings elements of all their collaborative efforts. From the vivacious colors and fairytale back drop of Edward Scissorhands to the campy goodness of the gem Ed Wood to the macabre setting of Sleepy Hollow.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a fan of musicals. I loathe them. They’re just not my cup of tea. I walked into this expecting something different and with John Logan’s (Bats, Any Given Sunday, Gladiator) well adapted screenplay and the vision of Burton; I was floored. Helena Bonham-Carter turns in her best performance since Fight Club. She’s beautiful and scary as hell at the same time. Johnny Depp should finally get his Golden Globe after countless nominations. His tormented character is fleshed out extremely well and we feel an instant connection and fear of the man. Alan Rickman’s performance as the sadistic Judge Turpin calls to mind the man we loved to hate in Die Hard, Hans Gruber. I’ve always been a tremendous fan of Rickman from Dogma to Harry Potter to last year’s underrated Perfume…but the man is at his best when he’s playing evil. And evil he plays so well in this.
We all know how this film’s going to end, but it’s truly about the journey getting there this time around. With solid acting, incredible set pieces and Burton’s sick & twisted way of spraying the screen with blood, Sweeney Todd is the horror musical event of 2007.
It’ll be the closest shave you’ll ever know
– Jack Reher
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
