I remember the old days, when the BBC was the most politically correct, conventional and non-risk-taking channel on TV. Times have changed, and imagine my surprise when their new adaptation of the Sweeney Todd legend began with a graphic throat-slitting, complete with blood coursing over a victim's chest! All this and at just two minutes past the watershed shows just how much times have changed. Although this is the most gruesome part of the film, overall it's quite strong on the violence front, and not for weak hearts.
The good news is that SWEENEY TODD is a darned sight better than another recent Victorian BBC story – SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE CASE OF THE SILK STOCKING, which not only wasted the talents of Rupert Everett but made a travesty of the whole Conan Doyle canon. Sadly, as is the case with many TV movies, budget restraints are evident here, with only a handful of locations and a few street sequences to bring Victorian London to life. Still, although cheap, it's definitely a cheerful film, with a better script than usual and some nice period details.
Ray Winstone is the core of this film's success, his performance probing the depths of Todd's psychology. He's great in the role, and ably supported by the unknown Essie Davis, who is actually better as Mrs. Lovett, and deserves to go on to greater success based on her fine performance here. A stalwart cast have been assembled, one of those casts where everybody puts in a decent performance. Familiar faces pop up here and there, including Hogwarts caretaker David Bradley (whose tongue-cutting is one of the film's most graphic moments) and stalwart genre star David Warner, here playing a blind bloke. Okay, so the film is a little weak here and there, and the ending is quite unsatisfactory – which didn't Todd just do that sooner? These minor quibbles shouldn't affect the rest of the production, which is generally sound; let's hope the BBC start making more decent dramatisations like this, as they can't cost very much to produce!
The good news is that SWEENEY TODD is a darned sight better than another recent Victorian BBC story – SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE CASE OF THE SILK STOCKING, which not only wasted the talents of Rupert Everett but made a travesty of the whole Conan Doyle canon. Sadly, as is the case with many TV movies, budget restraints are evident here, with only a handful of locations and a few street sequences to bring Victorian London to life. Still, although cheap, it's definitely a cheerful film, with a better script than usual and some nice period details.
Ray Winstone is the core of this film's success, his performance probing the depths of Todd's psychology. He's great in the role, and ably supported by the unknown Essie Davis, who is actually better as Mrs. Lovett, and deserves to go on to greater success based on her fine performance here. A stalwart cast have been assembled, one of those casts where everybody puts in a decent performance. Familiar faces pop up here and there, including Hogwarts caretaker David Bradley (whose tongue-cutting is one of the film's most graphic moments) and stalwart genre star David Warner, here playing a blind bloke. Okay, so the film is a little weak here and there, and the ending is quite unsatisfactory – which didn't Todd just do that sooner? These minor quibbles shouldn't affect the rest of the production, which is generally sound; let's hope the BBC start making more decent dramatisations like this, as they can't cost very much to produce!