Sweeney Todd: Great performances, great songs, everything's great!

Rating: 10/10 (19 August 2008)

Bloody. Gothic. Brilliant. These three words describe my favourite film, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street. Johnny Depp plays the barber of the title who swears bloody revenge on a judge (Alan Rickman) who wrongly imprisoned him for 14 years, taking his wife (Laura Michelle Kelly) and daughter (Jayne Wisener) from him. As the bodies pile up, Todd's neighbour Mrs. Lovette (Helena Bonham Carter) comes up with the grisly idea of putting the bodies to good use and making them into meat pies to sell in her shop.
Depp and Carter give great and memorable performances along with the rest of the cast, but it's Sacha Baron Cohen who steals the show as Todd's humorous competition. Tim Burton's dark humour fits in well with the tone of the film and makes it even more enjoyable.
The thing that makes a musical great is, of course, its songs and Stephen Sondheim's music doesn't let down. The lyrics are first-class and so memorable that you'll be humming along to them for days.
The 18+ certificate is well deserved due to the excessive throat slitting and blood spraying that comes in after about half an hour. Let me tell you, this film is not for the weak of stomach, but I have to say that the blood is necessary for this kind of film.
The songs are great, the dark humour fits in well and the cast give top-notch performances. I give Sweeney Todd 10/10.