bloody brilliant

Rating: 9/10 (5 October 2009)

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is my favorite movie. And that says a lot, because I do NOT do well with blood and gore in movies! My cousin forced me to watch this movie with the promise that I would love it, and I was very reluctant, but in the end I gave in. I now own the DVD and have the entire score memorized. Thank you Sam!!! Johnny Depp. What a genius. He manages, with one baleful stare into the distance, to convey the rage, horror and unrest of a terribly wronged man. In the thirty second flashback in which his Benjamin Barker is seen, a simple, naive, yet happy husband and father is immediately established and understood. Depp's transformation into the revengeful Sweeney Todd is also complete, and his voice spills emotions as much as his razors spill blood. Depp's singing voice is quite powerful, and though he is no trained operatic by any means, his voice fits Todd perfectly.
Helena Bonham-Carter's Mrs. Lovett is sheer genius, and I fail to understand why she did not get an Oscar nom for her performance. Her Mrs. Lovett is worldly-wise, practical, and yet underneath there is a romantic longing which is obvious to all but Todd. Carter delivers her lines with a perfect blend of dry humor, practicality, and sweet romanticism. One of her most powerful moments is when she has locked Toby in the bakehouse, and her eyes fill with tears as she goes to warn Todd. Carter's voice is not as powerful as Depp's, but she works within her range, and does a splendid job with several very difficult songs, including the hilarious "Worst Pies in London" and the dreamy "By the Sea," which by the way is the single sequence in the movie set in sunshine.
Alan Rickman and Timothy Spall work perfectly together. Rickman has only to raise an eyebrow and speak in the softest voice, and he is a perfect, slick incarnation of evil. Spall's sniveling Beadle Bamford is the perfect sidekick to Rickman, and their song "Ladies in Their Sensitivities" is one of the best songs in the score.
The supporting actors - Jamie Campbell Bower, Laura Michelle Kelly, Ed Sanders, Jayne Weisner, and of course Sacha Baron Cohen - are all brilliant as well. Cohen's cameo is awesome and he lends some much needed visual comic relief, although both his Italian and English accents are almost incomprehensible. Jamie Campbell Bower's eyes simply radiate innocent love at first sight, and his Anthony sings sweetly and longingly of Johanna. Laura Michelle Kelly, a seasoned stage actress, does quite well in her dual roles as Lucy Barker and the beggar woman. Ed Sanders's acting and facial expressions can be wooden at times, but his voice is spot-on perfect for his role as Toby, and he does fantastically well with his songs. And I wish Jayne Weisner's role as Johanna could have been expanded a bit, as her voice is beautifully clear, pure and sweet, and her huge dark eyes perfectly convey her desperation to get away from her life under the thumb of Judge Turpin.
Tim Burton has done a fantastic job with this movie. He keeps the camera closely zoomed in on his characters, so as not to miss a single raw emotion. His Victorian London is filthy, smoggy, picture perfect, and he lets the blood flow as freely as the music. Which brings me to Steven Sondheim's score. Oh. My. Gosh. The score is the true star of the show. While most musical numbers are icing on the cake and aren't really necessary to the plot, the entire story of Sweeney Todd is given through music. Plot lines are explained, twists are made, and final secrets are revealed in songs with perfectly intertwined music and lyrics. You cannot separate the music from the script. The music is the script.
This movie is amazing. If you don't like blood, just avert your eyes, it's only in a few scenes. If you don't like Tim Burton, give him another chance. This is one of his best films, and he doesn't disappoint. Watch it!