"Sweeney" and Burton form a beautiful marriage

Rating: 9/10 (27 December 2007)

If there is anyone that can do justice to Stephen Sondheim's sadistic musical on the silver screen, it is Tim Burton. "Sweeney Todd," the director's latest, is an all around marvel of a film and Burton's most award-worthy project in a long time.
"Sweeney" stars Burton favorite Johnny Depp as the vengeful demon barber and of course Burton's wife, Helena Bonham-Carter, accompanies him as the strangely romantic accomplice, Mrs. Lovett. All that needs to be said about the plot is that it is based on vengeance, there is little dialogue not done in musical verse and it is very, very dark, insanely so.
Depp delivers as the crazed, murderous Barber with a performance that after about thirty seconds could make anyone forget he uses the same exact accent for Jack Sparrow. Even his singing voice reaches levels that provide a dark yet beautiful quality for his deeply disturbed character. Bonham-Carter is not the best singer, but she gives the role an eerily humorous quality that works nicely. All the supporting roles prove excellent including Alan Rickman as Todd's nemesis, Timothy Spall as Rickman's despicable assistant and even "Borat" star Sacha Baren Cohen proves his ability to impersonate another nationality in the role of an Italian rival barber.
From beginning to end the direction is superb and with Tim Burton's stamps all over it. The art direction, cinematography and costumes are all incredible and add a quality to the musical that the stage simply cannot. The dark palette (which accentuates the blood that Burton is clearly a big fan of) with specific color choice in parts truly brings out the strange beauty that Sondheim's music brings to this chilling tale.
If you don't have a sensitive gag reflex, "Sweeney Todd" is a worthy film for anyone with the maturity to sit down and appreciate the nuance and the beauty of very dark tragedy. It is definitely not a film to watch when you want to be highly entertained, but it is an incredible story that is in the best of hands if one is ready to view it.