Tim Burton at his darkest

Rating: 9/10 (6 April 2008)

Tim Burton has outdone himself here, this film groans with the hallmarks of this visually eloquent director who is not afraid to push the envelope. Sweeney Todd takes Burton's distinctive and unashamedly individual style and blends it seamlessly with Stephen Sondheim's chilling score to create something truly unique. Burton effectively washes all colour from the screen giving the appearance of utter bleakness to the streets of London to the extent that when the blood starts to flow it is even more shocking because its rich, vibrant crimson brightens up its desolate surroundings. Burton really manages to capture a brutal elegance and beauty that compliments the contradictory nature of a musical about a murderous barber. Depp is extremely well suited to the role of Sweeney Todd, perfectly embodying this tortured and damaged character. He attacks the role with a snarl on his face and a growl in his voice and provides surprisingly good vocals for his songs, though I can't help feeling that his accent is rather too close to the voice he used for Jack Sparrow. This is a small criticism, however, of an otherwise outstanding turn from Depp. The rest of the cast are perfectly matched with their roles and there is not a weak link in the entire movie so my recommendation is watch, enjoy and, above all, sing along because there's no place like London.