rating:
(out of
4 stars)United States, United Kingdom; 2007
Directed by Tim Burton; produced by John Logan, Laurie MacDonald, Walter Parks, Richard D. Zanuck; screenplay by John Logan
Starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jamie Campbell Bower
What a treat 'Sweeney Todd' is. Once again director Tim Burton and hotter-than-hot star Johnny Depp team up and once again they succeed admirably in creating something original. Based on the Stephen Sondheim musical, the film version is dark and bloody, and contains quite some macabre humor during and in between the songs. Often with musicals: if the songs are your taste you will enjoy it even if the film itself offers little, like 'Evita'. But 'Sweeney Todd' is a real film, with atmospheric cinematography, brilliant art direction, great performances by the main cast, all tighty directed by Burton.
The songs do the explanatory part of the story. Once upon a time there was a barber named Benjamin Barker, who loved his wife and daughter Johanna. One day he was taken to jail, arranged by Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman), who wanted Barker's wife for himself. She dies and Turpin keeps Johanna as his prisoner. Barker escapes and returns to London with the young Anthony (Jamie Campbell Bower), who falls in love with Johanna, starting his barbershop again under his new name Sweeney Todd. It is located above the meat pie shop of Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter). Of course Todd wants his revenge, not just on Turpin but on the entire world it seems. Together with Mrs. Lovett they set up a plan: Todd slashes the throat of his customers, throws them down through a hatch, where Mrs. Lovett can put them into her pies. Suddenly she offers the best in London.
The story, of course, is ridiculous fun. But to turn this into a musical makes it strangely wonderful and Burton seems the right way to go for the film version. The songs are there, most of them pretty low key, but interesting and entertaining on their own. The actors do their own singing and it sounds pretty good actually. Most of the musical can be found in the film, but still Burton manages to make it his own. Known for his visuals he does not let us down here. Most of director of photography Dariusz Wolski's images are dark, but from time to time they seem to be taken from a real fairytale. Together with art direction and the right make-up both the film and actors on themselves belong to the visual feast 'Sweeney Todd' is.
Rickman is evil the way he often is, Bonham Carter finds the right note for Mrs. Lovett who somehow thinks one day she will be happily married to Todd, Timothy Spall is always the right actor in a fantasy, even one like this, and then there is Depp. He is one of the few actors with a truly orginal resume. Even his bad films, and he has made a couple, have an interesting element. But most of the time he simply stars in terrific work, and in that way he belongs to an even smaller group. A Johnny Depp film is something you look forward to, as is the case with Daniel Day-Lewis, Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, George Clooney and Tom Hanks. 'Sweeney Todd' is no exception. Burton may use him as the perfect tool, Depp is one of a kind, and seems the only tool that can get this job done.