At first, I was skeptical after seeing trailers of a singing Johnny Depp (and a promise that Alan Rickman would also break out in song), but the story of a barber serial killer murdering with his silver razors piqued my interest in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Done in a classic style well-known and loved in Tim Burton’s films, the movie was able to capture the mix of a dark, depressing, Victorian London with random characters singing in the streets.
The story centers on Benjamin Barker (Depp), a barber with a beautiful wife named Lucy (Laura Michelle Kelly). Jealous of Barker’s good fortune of finding a wife like Lucy, Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) accuses Barker of false charges, sentences him to a life of labor, and seduces his wife. After 15 years, Barker finally returns to a dreary London, only to realize that his wife and only daughter are nowhere to be found.
Barker finds out that not only had Turpin taken advantage of his wife—who had since ingested arsenic out of guilt—but the judge had also taken his daughter Johanna (Jayne Wisener) and raised her as his own. To exact revenge, Barker changes his name to Sweeney Todd and reopens his barber shop, in hopes of luring Turpin in and killing him.
However, Todd’s complex imitates that of Mr. Hyde—dark, dangerous, and deranged. To practice for his revenge, he sharpens his silver razors and slits the throats of most of his clients. He then proceeds to dump his victims’ bodies into the boiler room, where his accomplice Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) bakes the bodies into her meat pies and serves them to her unwary customers. The killing spree is kept hidden from the public and ultimately Todd comes face to face with Judge Turpin to exact his revenge.
I was not a big fan of the musical aspect of Sweeney Todd, though I do commend the fact that the songs lighten the dark and dreary mood cast by the movie. The film itself is based on the Broadway musical of the same name, but besides the one or two songs that are catchy enough, the rest are forgettable. Although it follows the style of some of Burton’s previous films (Corpse Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The Nightmare Before Christmas), the movie could have done without anyone singing.
Sweeney Todd lists an impressive cast of characters, with Depp, Carter, and Rickman leading the pack. It is no surprise that Depp is able to wonderfully perform as the vengeful serial killer (playing strange characters seems to be his forte). Perhaps even better is that Depp was not able to steal the show from his leading lady. Carter strongly played the dark and devious accomplice while amusing the audience with her antics to gain the love of the dashing Todd. Sweeney Todd also featured Sacha Baron Cohen, who played the humorous and unlucky Signor Adolfo Pirelli, Todd’s first victim.
As far as the rest of the film is concerned, Burton does not disappoint. The cinematography is complex and entertaining to watch, the many different settings (from the poor and bleak Fleet Street to the aristocratic London neighborhood) are detailed, and the costume changes fitted each character perfectly—I was definitely pleased with Carter’s change of clothing in accordance to her situation in the movie. Overall, even with the excessive singing, I would recommend Sweeney Todd for everything else it had to offer.
