---
title: "The Little Things"
year: 2021
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-little-things"
fi1m_id: "the-little-things"
imdb_id: "tt10016180"
tmdb_id: 602269
wikidata_id: "Q70373108"
fi1m_score: 60
critics_score: 64
critics_reviews: 27
published: "2026-09-23T13:33:37.360803+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-23T13:33:37.657321+00:00"
region: "TH"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Little Things (2021)

Directed by John Lee Hancock · 2h 08m · Drama, Crime, Thriller

## Identity

The Little Things

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-little-things
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** the-little-things
- **IMDb ID:** tt10016180
- **TMDB ID:** 602269
- **Wikidata ID:** Q70373108
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10016180/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/602269, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q70373108

**Fi1m score: 60** · Critics 64 from 27 reviews

*In a sentence:* Denzel Washington does a great deal by sitting still; Jared Leto does a great deal, full stop

> John Lee Hancock’s serial-killer procedural is set in a 1990s Los Angeles it plainly misses, and Denzel Washington gives it more than the script deserves. It is patient, handsome and derivative, and its last act is the only part we still think about.

## Synopsis

Los Angeles in the 1990s. Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon (Denzel Washington) is an ageing lawman with a case behind him that he has never put down. Jim Baxter (Rami Malek) is the younger detective on a run of killings the department believes to be the work of one man. The two do not work the same way, and they end up working together, with Detective Sal Rizoli (Chris Bauer), Flo Dunigan (Michael Hyatt) and LASD Captain Carl Farris (Terry Kinney) around them. Their attention settles on Albert Sparma (Jared Leto), a man who becomes their suspect and appears to relish it. Deke’s past comes back to him in pieces as the case goes on.

## Review

John Lee Hancock has made the kind of serial-killer film studios stopped making around the turn of the century: two detectives, one older and broken and one younger and hungry, a suspect who enjoys being suspected, and a city of night streets and bad coffee. He wrote it himself, and he writes it the way they used to be written. That is not an insult. *The Little Things* knows exactly what it is, and for about ninety minutes it is a decent example of it. The question is whether decent is enough, and we are not sure it is.

Washington plays Deke as a man who has learned to take up as little room as possible. He drives slowly, speaks softly, and stands at the edge of crime scenes until the younger men have finished being clever. Hancock gives him a motel room and a habit of talking to the dead, who sit on the bed and wait for him, and Washington plays these scenes without a flicker of self-pity, which is the only way they could have worked. There is a moment when he is alone at night and his face simply gives way. It lasts a few seconds and it is the best thing in the film. We were more moved by it than the story around it had earned.

Malek is stiffer. Baxter is meant to be the department’s rising man, and Malek plays him wound tight, precise, a little pleased with his own suits, which Daniel Orlandi cuts sharper than anyone else’s in the building. He is good when he is listening to Washington and less good when he has to carry a scene, and the film asks him to carry a great many. Leto arrives near the hour mark with a paunch, greasy shoulder-length hair and a walk like a man stepping off a boat, and how much of him you can take will depend on your appetite for actors who have plainly enjoyed the make-up chair. In the interrogation room he is unsettling for ten minutes. After that we found we were watching an actor rather than a suspect.

The craft is sound. John Schwartzman shoots Los Angeles at night in sodium orange and its interiors in a sickly green, the green of fluorescent tubes over a morgue slab, and he lets the dark keep most of what it holds. Michael Corenblith’s homicide bullpen is metal desks, rotary phones and a corkboard of dead women’s faces, and Sparma’s flat is a mess we could smell. Thomas Newman’s score is a low pulse with a few plaintive notes on top, and it knows when to stop, which is rarer than it should be. Robert Frazen cuts the investigation cleanly and the flashbacks less so; the flares from Deke’s past come without warning and we spent too long working out when we were.

The trouble is that the plot does not hold. Hancock wants a film about what police work does to the men who do it, and he has borrowed the mechanics of a whodunit to carry the idea, and the two keep tripping each other. Leads are followed because the running time needs them followed. A stakeout goes on far longer than any real sergeant would allow. Natalie Morales, as Detective Jamie Estrada, and Chris Bauer, as Detective Sal Rizoli, are given one function each. The women who die are photographs on a board, which the film half-notices and does nothing about.

Then the last half hour takes a turn we will not describe. It is the boldest thing Hancock has done as a writer, it explains what the film was for all along, and it makes a good deal of the previous ninety minutes look like padding. We left it unsettled rather than satisfied, and we have argued about it since, which is more than most films of this kind manage. Whether that is the film’s achievement or an accident of a script that had run out of clues, we could not tell you.

Set against [*Se7en*](https://film.one/film/se7en) (1995) and [*Zodiac*](https://film.one/film/zodiac) (2007), the two films it cannot stop thinking about, it is smaller and less frightening. Set against Hancock’s own work it is his strangest and probably his most interesting. Watch it at home, late, with the lights off, and forgive it its borrowings for the sake of Washington’s face and that final turn. It runs 128 minutes and carries a 15.

*Fi1m score 60, published 23 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics lean gently positive, and nearly all of them reach for the same word: throwback. The film is read as a return to the 1990s serial-killer procedural, with Se7en and Zodiac named repeatedly as its models. Praise clusters on Denzel Washington’s weary detective, with Rami Malek and Jared Leto’s twitchy suspect also singled out. Hancock’s decision to dwell on the toll the case takes on the two men rather than on solving it is the most admired choice, along with the gloomy, well-mapped Los Angeles.

The reservations cluster on the same familiarity. Many find the script derivative and dated, the plotting implausible, and the ending either too cryptic or too timid. The spread is wide: Deadline calls it the best film in its genre for decades, while Empire finds it a dull relic with no invention. The Guardian argues that even Washington cannot save it, a view most of the reviews do not share.

## Straight answers

**Is The Little Things worth watching?**

*The Little Things* is worth watching for anyone with a taste for slow 1990s-style serial-killer procedurals, and we scored it 60. Denzel Washington gives it more than the script deserves and the last half hour takes a turn we still argue about, but the plot in between does not hold. Watch it at home, late, with the lights off.

**How long is The Little Things, and what is it rated?**

*The Little Things* runs 2h 08m. It is a drama and crime film.

**Where can I watch The Little Things in Thailand?**

*The Little Things* is streaming on Netflix in Thailand, and it is also available to rent from Apple TV from ฿99.00. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is The Little Things, and is it suitable for children?**

*The Little Things* carries a 15 in the UK and an R in the US, and it is a serial-killer procedural about murdered women, so it is not for children. The violence is mostly in its aftermath, seen in morgues and on a corkboard of victims' faces, and the fear comes from Jared Leto's suspect rather than from gore. Older teenagers used to crime drama will manage it.

**How does The Little Things compare to Se7en?**

*The Little Things* is the smaller and less frightening of the two, and it borrows openly from [*Se7en*](https://film.one/film/se7en). Fincher's film is rainier, crueller and far more tightly edited, and remains the one to see if you want to be scared. Hancock's is worth a look for Denzel Washington's quiet performance and a final turn that goes somewhere the earlier film does not.

**What should I watch after The Little Things?**

After *The Little Things*, try [*Se7en*](https://film.one/film/se7en) (1995, Fi1m 88): The film this one keeps glancing at; rainier, crueller and far more frightening. Then [*Memories of Murder*](https://film.one/film/memories-of-murder) (2003, Fi1m 91): Bong Joon-ho’s rural Korean detectives chase a killer and lose themselves; the ending haunts; and [*Zodiac*](https://film.one/film/zodiac) (2007, Fi1m 91): Fincher’s decades-long hunt where the not-knowing is the point and the toll is everything.

### Reviews we read (27)

- **Little White Lies**, Erik Nielsen (3/4/3): The critic finds it a familiar but enjoyable throwback to mid-budget serial-killer procedurals, praising its character focus on the two detectives and Jared Leto’s lively turn as the suspect. It singles out the patient, slow-burn approach to the cops’ personal lives and dynamics as refreshing amid the familiar plot beats. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-little-things)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Justin Chang (78/100, inferred): The critic calls it a moody, respectable throwback to ’90s serial-killer thrillers with sturdy craftsmanship and real feeling beneath the conventions, praising the sense of menace, geography of Los Angeles, and the cast's work while noting it locates an unexpectedly steady pulse in an overworked genre. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-01-28/review-little-things-review-denzel-washington-rami-malek)
- **IndieWire**, David Ehrlich (77/100, inferred): Washington and Malek deliver as haunted detectives in a strong serial-killer throwback that mines vintage genre fun with echoes of Se7en. Jared Leto’s unhinged performance adds to the mix in this solid but familiar effort. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-little-things-review-hbomax-1234610149/)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney (74/100, inferred): The film is a suspenseful neo-noir crime thriller whose strength lies in the performances of Denzel Washington and Rami Malek as cops with contrasting styles who grow closer. Hancock is more interested in the psychological toll on the investigators than solving the case, though the ending is too cryptic. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-little-things-film-review-4120171/)
- **The Times**, Kevin Maher (★★★☆☆): The critic calls it a derivative, workaday procedural thriller packed with familiar cop and serial-killer tropes, but praises Denzel Washington as a miracle worker who elevates the material into something compelling. They single out a brilliant scene of the character quietly crying at night as a highlight of his performance. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/the-little-things-review-workaday-thriller-elevated-by-denzel-washingtons-brilliance-b7h0ptqxz)
- **Slant Magazine**, Chuck Bowen (70/100, inferred): The film functions as a David Fincher tribute reel blending Se7en and Zodiac modes but feels impersonal and inconsistently executed. It has an obsessive pull through its noir imagery and the compelling Washington-Malek pairing, with a haunting atmosphere and strong central performances. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review-the-little-things-is-essentially-a-david-fincher-tribute-reel/)
- **The AV Club**, A.A. Dowd (B-): The film is an enjoyably clichéd cop thriller drenched in genre tropes that plays like an accidental spoof without the jokes. Washington fits the worn-out detective role well, and it has a sinister Fincher-inspired atmosphere, but it remains derivative boilerplate. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/denzel-washington-returns-to-the-manhunt-business-in-th-1846129019)
- **Total Film** (70/100, inferred): The film is praised as a murky must-see led by three Oscar winners delivering strong performances, with Leto especially mesmerising. The critic highlights the solid serial-killer genre addition and off-screen violence as effective choices. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-little-things-review/)
- **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott (66/100, inferred): The critic sees the film as an unapologetic throwback neo-noir thriller about the damaging effects of police work, with Washington and Malek as detectives pursuing a serial killer. Hancock's craft and the actors' discipline make it more than watchable, but it lacks the weight to haunt or surprise the viewer. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/28/movies/the-little-things-review.html)
- **Screen Daily** (63/100, inferred): The review describes it as a moody LA procedural that savours its gloomy atmosphere and genre tropes but gets bogged down in clichés and overheated characters. It singles out Denzel Washington’s commanding performance as the ageing cop and the strong procedural details and score for praise while noting the lack of originality. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-little-things-review/5156292.article)
- **The Independent**, Jake Coyle (2.5/4): The critic calls it a throwback serial-killer procedural that feels locked in the 1990s with little fresh material. Denzel Washington’s performance is singled out as a strong point amid the otherwise dated and implausible story. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/review-hunting-90s-killers-again-in-the-little-things-denzel-washington-jared-leto-killers-throwback-hunting-b1793233.html)
- **The New Yorker**, Anthony Lane (53/100, inferred): The critic finds the serial-killer cop drama implausible in its plotting, with the material challenging even strong actors like Washington, while noting some pleasures in individual shots and performances amid the flaws. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/02/08/denzel-washington-sweats-the-little-things)
- **The i Paper**, Francesca Steele (50/100, inferred): The film is described as an old-fashioned, musty neo-noir that feels dated and listless despite strong turns from Washington, Malek and Leto. The critic notes it works as a serviceable homage but ultimately needs updating. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/the-little-things-review-denzel-washington-remi-malek-909006)
- **Vulture** (50/100, inferred): The film is frustrating despite its old-fashioned serial-killer thriller setup and strong premise on paper; it fails to clarify the case or develop characters meaningfully beyond the initial setup. Leto’s suspect adds unpredictability, and the surprising direction is a highlight, but the twists are not fully earned. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/movie-review-the-little-things-with-denzel-washington.html)
- **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman (48/100, inferred): The critic views it as a recycled serial-killer procedural that cribs heavily from “Se7en” and “Manhunter” and feels like a rerun or not-so-special episode of “C.S.I.,” with some strong moments like Leto’s interrogation scene but lacking revelation and failing to get the big things right. [Read](https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/the-little-things-review-denzel-washington-rami-malek-jared-leto-1234890946/)
- **The Guardian** (42/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a tired, plodding serial killer thriller that even Denzel Washington cannot salvage, calling it overly familiar and stale in the vein of Seven and Zodiac. They single out the bold use of green in the colour palette as a notable stylistic choice amid the murkiness. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/mar/13/the-little-things-review-denzel-washington-rami-malek-jared-leto)
- **Empire**, Dan Jolin (30/100, inferred): The script feels like a relic from the 1990s with dour visuals and little thrills or invention; Washington is watchable but the film is overall a dull throwback. The critic singles out the prestige cast and neo-noir style as highlights that ultimately disappoint. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-little-things/)
- **Deadline**, Pete Hammond (91/100, inferred): The critic calls it a brilliantly realized and complex thriller and a major motion picture achievement, the best in the serial killer genre since The Silence of the Lambs. They single out the strong performances from the three Oscar-winning leads and the authentic depiction of 1990s Los Angeles. [Read](https://deadline.com/video/the-little-things-review-denzel-washington-rami-malek-jared-leto-serial-killer-thriller/)
- **Den of Geek**, Don Kaye (4/5): The critic calls it an engrossing, nerve-fraying throwback serial killer thriller with strong period atmosphere and lead performances that almost make familiar tropes feel fresh again. The main praise is for the somber tone, unsettling details, and the deliberate ambiguity of the ending that focuses on the effects on the characters rather than closure. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-little-things-review-denzel-washington-serial-killer-thriller/)
- **The Playlist**, Rodrigo Perez (75/100, inferred): The critic describes it as a surprisingly decent, meat-and-potatoes dad-rock version of Se7en that takes viewers by surprise with its morally ambiguous ending and thoughtful meditation on the psychic toll of police work. They single out the resonant, subverting finale and strong performances from the three leads. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/little-things-review-denzel-washington-20210126/)
- **Polygon**, Robert Daniels (70/100, inferred): The critic finds Hancock nearly pulls off a grim slow-burn neo-noir that grazes greatness through its leads and moral murkiness. They single out the enthralling performances and regret-driven mystery for praise while complaining about the mawkish habits, slow start, and timid finale. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/movies/22249907/the-little-things-review-denzel-washington-movie/)
- **The Ringer**, Adam Nayman (70/100, inferred): The critic sees the film as a gripping if muted and derivative throwback thriller that is watchable on its own terms. They single out its committed subversion of expectations and strong lead performances for praise while noting it lacks the dangerous edge of true classics in the genre. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2021/02/01/movies/the-little-things-movie-review-denzel-washington-jared-leto)
- **/Film**, Chris Evangelista (6.5/10): The critic sees it as a predictable and derivative serial killer thriller whose '90s setting feels quaint and stale rather than fresh. They single out the lack of style, one-note characters, and dated approach as major complaints, while noting some haunting qualities in the ending and Washington's performance. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/578989/the-little-things-review/)
- **Consequence** (C+): The critic calls the film a dull, dated copy of better thrillers like Se7en, with sleepwalking performances and no momentum. They single out the unimaginative script and underutilized cast for complaint while noting Hancock's competence as a director. [Read](https://consequence.net/2021/01/film-review-the-little-things/)
- **HeyUGuys**, Zehra Phelan (3/5): The critic finds it a bleak, slow-burning serial killer story whose narrative shortfalls are offset by strong performances from the big-name cast. They praise the exceptional acting, especially from Washington and Leto, while noting flaws like disjointed flashbacks and a lack of sophistication. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/the-little-things-review/)
- **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (C-): The critic finds the film too conventional and pedestrian despite its pedigree and strong lead performance. They single out Denzel Washington's nuanced portrayal for praise while complaining about the familiar plot beats, overdone supporting turns, and tone-deaf resolution. [Read](https://collider.com/the-little-things-review-hbo-max-denzel-washington/)
- **The Wrap** (46/100, inferred): The critic finds the film disappointing, saying it flirts with big thematic and character ideas but never closes the deal and feels like an ungainly chopped series. They single out the lack of coherent plotting, motivation, and period specificity beyond superficial details. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/the-little-things-film-review-denzel-washington-rami-malek-jared-leto/)

## Details

- **Director:** John Lee Hancock
- **Director:** John Lee Hancock
- **Screenplay:** John Lee Hancock
- **Cinematography:** John Schwartzman
- **Editor:** Robert Frazen
- **Music:** Thomas Newman
- **Production design:** Michael Corenblith
- **Costume design:** Daniel Orlandi
- **Producer:** Mark Johnson, John Lee Hancock
- **Cast:** Denzel Washington as Joe 'Deke' Deacon; Rami Malek as Jim Baxter; Jared Leto as Albert Sparma; Chris Bauer as Detective Sal Rizoli; Michael Hyatt as Flo Dunigan; Terry Kinney as LASD Captain Carl Farris; Natalie Morales as Detective Jamie Estrada; Isabel Arraiza as Ana Baxter
- **Runtime:** 2h 08m
- **First release (Brazil):** 28 January 2021
- **Genres:** Drama, Crime, Thriller
- **Budget:** $30 million
- **Box office:** $30 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HZAnkxdYuA

## Where to watch in Thailand

- Netflix: streaming
- Apple TV: rent ฿99.00, hd
- Apple TV: buy ฿449.00, hd

*Checked 2026-09-23.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, SK, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Se7en* (1995), Fi1m 88: The film this one keeps glancing at; rainier, crueller and far more frightening. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/se7en.md)
- *Memories of Murder* (2003), Fi1m 91: Bong Joon-ho’s rural Korean detectives chase a killer and lose themselves; the ending haunts. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/memories-of-murder.md)
- *Cure* (1997): Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Tokyo detective and a suspect who unravels everyone who questions him.
- *The Pledge* (2001): Jack Nicholson’s retired cop makes a promise to a dead child’s mother and cannot let go.
- *Zodiac* (2007), Fi1m 91: Fincher’s decades-long hunt where the not-knowing is the point and the toll is everything. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/zodiac.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-little-things