The Little Things (2021)

Plot of The Little Things: Joe Deacon is a deputy sheriff in Bakersfield. He has moved there after his health failed during an investigation into some serial killer murders which he did not solve when a detective in LA. He is sent to Los Angeles to collect some info for the sheriff, but comes across Jimmy Baxter, the lead detective in a current serial killer case. Joe notices similarities in his former case, and the current case and tags along with Jimmy, taking leave from his current employment. After the disappearance of yet another woman Rhonda Rathbun the police investigate Albert Sparma, a repair man in a white goods store. Sparma appears to taunt them, and they are also told that years before he confessed to a murder he could not have committed. Later Sparma tells Baxter

 That he will take him to the spot where Rhonda’s body is buried. Baxter agrees and followed by Deacon they drive out into the desert. But it soon becomes evident that Sparma is having them on. In frustration Baxter kills Sparma with a shovel giving them a whole new scenario.

Content: No sex or nudity, except of the naked bodies of some young women with plastic bags over their heads. There must have been some beer drunk but I don’t remember it. The film opens with a young woman driving out in the desert being stalked by an unknown man, who we think would have killed her had she not managed to stop a truck. Later the woman is tasked with identifying Sparma, but has seen him handcuffed in the station, nullifying her evidence. Deacon has in the past accidentally killed one of the victims who had survived an attack, his crime covered up. Sparma leads the detectives a dance at one point leading Deacon to a mile sign on a road where a body had been found. But we are not certain he was the murderer.

A View: People who are used to Denzel Washington’s more active film roles may be disappointed in this outing where he is a sensible, experienced but frustrated policeman. Everything moves at a slow pace until they home in on Sparma when things hot up a bit. Even so it remains a who done it without us really finding out who. So we have to make up our own minds. Sorry if that’s a spoiler.  Some people have criticised the editing, which might be right. It’s not really a watch even for nothing.

Fun Fact: Apparently there is a mythical prop licence plate, 2GAT123 used in many films. It can be seen in this outing on a parked car outside the police station.