The Closest Shave You Shall Ever Know

Rating: 8/10 (17 October 2012)

In this dark, witty film adaptation of a popular musical, "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," actor Johnny Depp plays the lead role as a barber in London during the mid-seventeenth century. We learn that his character, Sweeney Todd, has just been freed from a fifteen year sentence in prison for a false crime. Todd had been put away by a powerful judge who was quite intent on stealing his beautiful wife. Todd's goal throughout the film is to seek revenge on the judge by slitting his throat while giving him a shave. Because of his new look and name, no one recognizes Sweeney Todd as his former self, Benjamin Barker, and he would like it to stay that way until the judge is murdered. In anticipation for the judge to come for a shave, Todd "practices" on other, less deserving throats.
As always, director Tim Burton delivers a quirky film. Its message is a simple one. A person always gets what they deserve. Todd plans to take back what is his when he returns from prison, this, of course, being his family. Whether he can get them back or not is irrelevant, it becomes more about his fixation on the murder of the man who locked him away. Other individuals, too, are killed for their wrong doings. Several deserving characters (we assume) go on to lead happy lives.
It is impossible when discussing this movie not to mention how well filmed it is. The gloom and darkness that engulfs London in every scene gives the viewer an even deeper understanding of the story line. There are several parts in the movie when the mood changes from melancholy to whimsical, but the transition is not just in the acting. Tim Burton does a fantastic job with lighting and setting change to give the viewer a feel for what is really happening in the story.