The Little Things

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Lee Hancock directs. John Schwartzman behind the camera. Thomas Newman scores. Robert Frazen cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 1Earned back only 100% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
• 2Released 5 years ago.
• 3217+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
• 4Directed by John Lee Hancock, shot by John Schwartzman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 5Original score by Thomas Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 6Editor Robert Frazen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 7Denzel Washington and Rami Malek and Jared Leto carry the top of the cast.
• 8Marketing tagline: "Some things never let us go.".
• 9IMDB entry: tt10016180 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 10Classified under 15 themes, including "detective", "deputy sheriff", "cop", "serial killer".

The technical file

Cinematography

John Schwartzman

Original score

Thomas Newman

Editing

Robert Frazen

Production design

Michael Corenblith

Costume design

Daniel Orlandi

Makeup / hair

Michael White

VFX supervisor

Gabriel Sánchez

Sound

Yann Delpuech

Stunt coordinator

Tim Trella

Runtime

128 min · 2h 8m

Aspect ratio (typical)

1.37:1 (Academy)

Status

Released

Budget

$30,000,000

Box office

$29,942,746

Return

100% of budget

Original language

EN

Certification (US)

R

IMDB

The Little Things (2021) ↗

Also by

John Lee Hancock

• 
  The Blind Side

  2009 · ★ 7.7
• 
  Saving Mr. Banks

  2013 · ★ 7.3
• 
  The Founder

  2016 · ★ 7.2
• 
  The Rookie

  2002 · ★ 6.8
• 
  The Highwaymen

  2019 · ★ 6.8
• 
  Talamasca: The Secret Order

  2025 · ★ 6.8

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

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Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  10 Minute Preview

  Clip · Official
• 

  ▶
  Denzel Washington, Rami Malek & Jared Leto Give An Exclusive Look Into The Little Things

  Behind the Scenes · Official
• 

  ▶
  Official Trailer

  Trailer · Official

Community reviews

What people are saying

• garethmb2021-01-26

  Academy Award Winners Denzel Washington, Jared Leto, and Remi Malik star in the new thriller “The Little Things” and combine to make very gripping and memorable performances. The script was reportedly written over thirty years ago by John Lee Hancock who has gone on to write, direct, and produce multiple films of note in the decades since he first created the screenplay. The film is set in 1990 and involves a cop named Joe Deacon (Denzel Washington), who travels from his small California town to Los Angeles to get information on a suspect. Joe has a history in L.A as he used to be a homicide detective for the department which combined with his meltdown while obsessing over a murder case has caused him more than a bit of notoriety. Jim Baxter (Remi Malik) is the hotshot new Detective who has been leading the investigation into a string of unsolved murders. Joe accompanies Jim to a new crime scene and notes some similarities with his unsolved case. Joe takes some personal days and begins to do some legwork on the case and reports his findings to Jim which causes Joe to remember aspects of what drove him to his marital, health, and career issues as he is unable and unwilling to let the case drop. When a prime suspect no longer fits into the picture; suspicions fall on a crime enthusiast named Albert (Jared Leto) who seems to check all the boxes but is also taking delight in winding up Joe which causes Jim to question if he is a viable suspect or just an oddball who gets off on crimes and winding up the cops but does not actually commit any offenses. As the delicate dance unfolds between the characters the fact that this is an era before Cell Phones, DNA tests, GPS, and elaborate computer networks helps underscore the plight of the officers. If the film was set in a modern setting much of the suspense and uncertainty of the story and characters would be moot thanks to technology. As the game of cat and mouse unfolds between the characters Jim learns how a person can become obsessed with a case and Joe attempts to mentor him from the success and failures of his life which includes some gray areas. Aside from the strong performances and engaging story what makes “The Little Things” work is that it is a film that does not take the Hollywood fallbacks of extended gunfights, car chases, and over the top action scenes. What it does show is real and flawed characters that are doing what they think are right and does not attempt to wrap things up nice and tidy. The film uses the element of doubt to not only drive the story but the actions of the characters which underscores that an element of uncertainty exists in some investigations and in with the resources available to police at the time; things are not always certain. The film will appear in cinemas and HBO Max and is a compelling and well-crafted thriller that is not to be missed. 4.5 stars out of 5

  Read full review ↓
• JPV8522021-01-30

  Okay movie made watchable thanks to Washington, Malek and to some extent Leto. Is a bit slow so does take a bit of patience to get to the end, but it's worth checking out. In addition, this is a movie that deserves the straight-to-streaming treatment and not pay to see in theaters. 3.0/5

  Read full review ↓
• SWITCH.2021-02-07
  ★ 4/10

  'The Little Things' is a diversion - not the worst way to kill two hours, and definitely a movie with some people in it. It's a shame there isn't more to recommend about it. - Jake Watt Read Jake's full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-the-little-things-three-oscar-winners-one-so-so-mystery

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• 

  Warner Bros. Pictures

  US

• GR

  Gran Via Productions

  US

Key crew

• Special Effects TechnicianJoe Love
• Utility SoundSheraton Toyota
• Best Boy ElectricDoug Ednie
• Sound Effects EditorDan Gamache
• VFX ArtistCathy Shaw
• Dialogue EditorDarren King
• Visual Effects ProducerJason Sanford
• ADR MixerDave Wilson
• Sound DesignerYann Delpuech
• Sound Re-Recording MixerDavid E. Fluhr
• Sound Re-Recording MixerGregory King
• Assistant Sound EditorChristopher Alba
• Foley ArtistAlyson Dee Moore
• CompositorDaniel Dupre
• CompositorKyle Merola
• Drone CinematographerChristopher J. Schuster
• Drone PilotZynnia Cabrera
• LoaderRio Noel Zumwalt
• Foley MixerDarrin Mann
• Aerial CameraDan Godar
• Rigging GafferMichael D. Anderson
• Dolly GripBrad Rea
• Title DesignerAlan Munro
• Digital Intermediate ProducerErik Rogers

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• detective
• deputy sheriff
• cop
• serial killer
• crime scene
• los angeles, california
• series of murders
• cat and mouse
• surveillance
• lapd
• homicide detective
• prime suspect
• 1990s
• unsolved murders
• suspense mystery

Release history · US

When it landed

• Theatrical2021-01-29R
• Digital2021-01-29R· HBO Max

Also known as

International titles

• Little ThingsUS
• МелочиRU
• Fino all’ultimo indizioIT
• リトル・シングス：2021JP
• 细物警探CN