Sweeney Todd, the singing, dancing, murdering Demon Barber is out - and proves the musical genre is not only alive and well, it's also kicking (and screaming)!

The film tells the story of Benjamin Barker (Depp) who returns to England  after years in exile for a crime he didn't commit. Armed with a new name - Sweeney Todd -  a dodgy hair-do and an even dodgier mission, Barker/Todd sets about getting his revenge on the men responsible for convicting him and destroying his family!  

The film's casting is perfect - scarily this really does seem to be the role Johnny Depp was born to play. Of the six Depp / Burton collaborations so far, this is right up there with Edward Scissorhands as one of Depp's best ever performances (on the other hand, maybe there's just something about Depp, Burton and outcast barbers that spells movie brilliance)!

 

Burton's wife, Helena Bonham Carter, is just as brilliant as Mrs. Lovett, local pie-maker turned accessory to quite a few murders, and with fantastic performances all round from the supporting cast, Burton really does seem to bagged himself the perfect dream team. One particularly pleasant surprise comes in the form Sasha Baron Cohen who plays the exotic and flamboyant Adolfo Pirelli, a barber who sets himself up as Todd's competitor (smart move). Cohen apparently added a lot of humour on set and, in the short time he's given, he sparkles onscreen too.

 

Technically complex, Sweeney Todd is extremely enjoyable and dark -  in no small part due to the visually stunning use of colour, shadow and close up shots that hold the tension beautifully. Burtons style is deliciously gothic but in Sweeney Todd he really lets the blood flow soaking the audience in fun.

 

My only criticism is that the pace, whilst generally enthralling, is let down for a few moments in the middle but it doesn't spoil the overall film which I rate highly. This is a superb performance by Depp who sings as an actor and not as a singer making it remarkably emotional. We empathise with his rage. His performance is a credit to Sondheim's music.

Overall, a razor-sharp (sorry!) movie, not to be missed.


Priscilla Kelly