Single-minded Sweeney goes Gothic

Rating: 10/10 (3 February 2008)

Revenge is a powerful emotion, and is a popular narrative tool for movies and books (e.g. "The Count of Monte Cristo", "High Plains Drifter" and "Taxi Driver" to name a few). "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"  directed by Tim Burton and based on the 1979 Steven Sondheim horror/comedy musical  uses the theme of revenge as it tells the story of 18th Century London barber Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp). Sent away on a false crime by Judge Turpin (an understated Alan Rickman), who wanted his wife Johanna (Jayne Wisener), he comes back fifteen years later with his young assistant Anthony (Jamie Campbell Bower). Once he gets back, he teams up with Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) who makes the worst pies in London. Driven by for revenge, he adopts a new identity  Sweeney Todd  and sets up his barber business upstairs, with the help of Tobias Ragg (Edward Sanders), after taking out Italian rival Pirelli (a delightfully over-the-top Sacha Baron Cohen). In an enterprising piece of cross-promotion, Mrs. Lovett starts making her pies out of the remains out his Todd's victims, whose throats he slits with his razors, only stopping when he gets the Judge. Meanwhile, Anthony has fallen for Tood's daughter Johanna, and is determined to free her from Judge Turpin, who is holding her captive. The most striking thing about Todd is his obsessive need for revenge, which consumes him to the point where the only meaningful relationship he can have is with his razors (which he serenades in "My Friends"). The only time he pays attention to Mrs. Lovett  who is in love with Todd and will do anything to have him - is when she agrees to help with his macabre plan. The most striking image of the movie is near the end, where Depp is almost covered in blood. While this movie is  as expected  very violent  the violence is over-the-top, similar to "Kill Bill: Volume 1" and "Sleepy Hollow", and will only affect the weakest stomachs.
Considering the dark nature of the movie, it was a no-brainer that Tim Burton would direct. Burton re-imagines 18th Century London as a bleak, Gothic sewer, similar to "Batman", "Edward Scissorhands" and "Sleepy Hollow". Burton's regular collaborator Depp is superb as Todd. While his versatility is now well-known (thanks to his career-defining role as Captain Jack in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy), it's his singing voice which is the biggest surprise. Singing in a cockney accent, Depp handles the complex Sondheim songs, and manages to convey the desperation of Todd. While Todd isn't technically a bad guy, his actions are so abhorrent, and his purpose so single-minded, that he's hard to like. As befitting a musical, the characters move effortlessly between dialogue and song, with the highlights including "No Place Like London", "My Friends", "Pirelli's Miracle Elixer", "Pretty Woman", "Epiphany" and "A Little Priest". In short, "Sweeney Todd" is a brilliant movie, managing the tricky balance between soaring musical and macabre violence, without making it too gory or too melodramatic. He is helped by a quality cast and some great songs which convey the desperation of the period.