Sweeney Todd... a Musical Horror that avoids being a horrific Musical

Rating: 8/10 (19 May 2008)

This review was originally written for South Yorkshire Newspapers and featured on BBC Radio Sheffield, Leeds and York -

Tim Burton has taken the critically acclaimed Broadway and West-end Musical, sliced it, diced it, marinated it in claret, and baked it in rich black gravy to be served at a DVD retailers near you. But how does it taste? Set at the turn of the 19th century, Sweeney Todd is a tale of vengeance. 15 years after being wrongly imprisoned and shipped off to a penal colony, Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp) returns to London to take his bloody revenge on the man that sent him away, Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman), and anybody else that gets in his way. He takes the alias Sweeney Todd, and reclaims his Fleet Street Barber Shop, which is conveniently located above Mrs.Lovett's Pie Kitchen. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) is so besotted by Barker/Todd that she overlooks his misdemeanours and helps to dispose of his victims by using them as pie filling.
From the crimson oozing flow of the opening credits, through the arterial sprays of Todd's cut-throat razors living up to their namesake, to the shattering skulls and crumpling corpses of victims that are catapulted off the barber's chair - Burton has set out to make this his most gory of films. The splatters of viscera are further accentuated against the black and white grubbiness of the characters and scenery. Aesthetically the film is distinctly Tim Burton, Gothic and twisted; this is the director at the top of his game. Fans will no doubt clock that the barber shop bears a striking resemblance to Edward Scissorhand's attic refuge, whilst his grimy smoke-smothered vision of London is astonishing, a nightmarish fairytale imagining that recalls the best bits of his Gotham City (Batman/Batman Returns) and his London in 'From Hell', but everything is so much more beautifully realised. The level of depth and detail in every shot, the costumes, props, and scenery are all flawless, an artistic vision that is stunning from the swooping opening shot right through to its gruesome end.
The same level of care and detail is applied to the pallid cast. Burton has stuck with Johnny Depp, his long term leading man, and his wife (Bonham-Carter), rather than opt for actors known for their singing credentials. In a musical where the songs are renowned for their range and complexity, this was a brave move, but one that has paid off. Depp has always served Burton well in the past, and he comes up trumps again, making Sweeney Todd truly iconic, and even doing a commendable job of the singing.
If you're not a fan of musicals then the Demon Barber of Fleet Street is unlikely to win you over, but it's hardly the Sound of Music either  songs have been significantly trimmed down from the original theatrical versions, being used solely as a device to build character and relationships, and as a passionate extension of conversation. As such, the vocalists maintain their cockney accents, remaining faithful to their persona by building melody into their dialogue and even whilst hitting the high notes resist sounding like a 19th Century Lily Allen.
It's testament to how dark the film is to know that the big love song of the piece revolves around Todd's beloved razors ('My Friends') rather than the relationship he forms with Mrs.Lovett. They do share a touching duet when they settle on their Pie ingredients ('A Little Priest'), a song that forms a cannibalistic list of potential victims and the way they are likely to taste. It's the only scene where Todd softens enough to look Lovett in the eye, this is a man who is utterly consumed by his blood-lust and need for revenge. You may not like the murderous retches that they play, but it's difficult not to be captivated by their performances.
Thankfully the grisly content and tone is all off-set by a good level of humour throughout, Sacha Baron Cohen's (Ali-G, Borat) part as a flamboyant rival barber may be brief, but hilarious, Timothy Spall's presence as a sneering rat-faced aid to the Judge is bordering on cartoon-like, and Lovett's dream scenes of a rose-tinted future with Todd are certainly the most comical that Burton has committed to celluloid.
If Sweeney Todd wasn't a musical, then the plot and characters could be criticised for their simplicity for a film of this length. However, in this format, with the aesthetics and performances to back it up, it's clear that the narrative is perfectly structured, offering more intricacies than some of Burton's previous works (Sleepy Hollow for instance), and managing plenty of surprises in a tale familiar to many. It's easy to imagine Tim Burton having to be as driven and single-minded as his incarnation of Sweeney Todd, just to get this film made  as it runs the risk of being too gory for many fans of musicals, yet the musical credentials may put off fans of horror. But that's what makes Sweeney Todd so distinctive  it manages to pull off a Musical Horror Movie but avoids becoming a horrific musical. Above all, if you're a fan of Burton's work, or Depp's for that matter, then there's plenty for you to get your teeth into here. Bon Appetit!