Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Rating: 9/10 (27 January 2008)

From Golden Globe nominated director Tim Burton (Beetlejuice, Batman, Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow) comes another great Gothic masterpiece, and it is rare treat, a musical with a lot of blood (the opening credits alone is full of it), in fact, it was the first 18 certificate film I saw at the cinema. Basically set in Victorian England, London, Benjamin Barker (Golden Globe winning, and Oscar nominated Johnny Depp) reminisces the loss of his wife Lucy and daughter from the lust of Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman), who ruined their lives. He raped Lucy, who apparently poisoned herself in despair, and had Barker deported to Australia, and the daughter, Johanna (Jayne Wisener) is now the Judge's ward. Years later, Barker has returned (illegally) with the new image and name, Sweeney Todd to seek revenge, with the help of young sailor Anthony Hope (Jamie Campbell Bower). Todd visits the pie shop of Mrs. (Nellie) Lovett (Golden Globe nominated Helena Bonham Carter, Burton's long time girlfriend), in the building where above he used to rent the room to do barber work, she tells him about the wife's death and the Judge's ward, his daughter. With his "friends", the hidden razors back, Todd decides to reopen his barbershop. On a stroll through market, Todd and Lovett stop to watch a possible rival barber (and hair tonic salesman), Signor Adolfo Pirelli (Borat's Sacha Baron Cohen), but Todd wins a shaving competition against him, judged by the Judge's sidekick, Beadle Bamford (Timothy Spall). Pirelli comes to see Todd, and reveals that he used to work for him, and tries to blackmail him, but enraged Todd kills him, slicing his neck with his razor blade. Mrs. Lovett is of course shocked, but soon calms, and understands his reasons, but they have to dispose of the body, and they both have the fantastic scheme to use the body, as well as other customers that will follow to make meat pies. The Judge does visit for a shave, but Todd loses the opportunity to get his vengeance, so what follows is numerous neck slicing murders, and Beggar Woman (Laura Michelle Kelly) is the only person noticing the suspicious action in the upstairs room. A subplot story sees Anthony Hope falling for the Judge's ward, Todd's daughter, Johanna, and with the Judge telling him to keep away locks her away. It is obvious towards the end there won't be a happy ending, Todd does get to kill Bamford and his master the Judge, Johanna is caught hiding by Todd who tells her to stay put till he gets back (that's the last time you and he see her), the little boy helping at the pie shop, Toby (Ed Sanders) discovers the dark meat secret, with a finger in his pie, Todd kills the Beggar Woman, who he didn't realise is actually Lucy (!), he throws Mrs. Lovett in the fire as revenge, and as Todd weeps over his dead wife, Toby slices his neck with his own razor blade. Phew! Look out for a quick appearance by Anthony Head as a Man in the street. Depp is superbly sentimental and mental at the same time, same with Bonham Carter as the cannibalistic pie maker, and both are quite good at singing. There is a hell of a lot of blood, there are small humorous moments, and the songs are also very enjoyable, a true classic that I will never tire of. It won the Oscar for Best Art Direction, and it was nominated for Best Costume Design (why wasn't Burton nominated), it is nominated the BAFTAs for Best Costume Design and Best Make Up & Hair, and it won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. Very good!