Sweeney Todd (2006 TV Movie) User Reviews

A Solid English Interpretation of the Classic Tale

[gavin6942 · 8/10 · 28 December 2007]

Sweeney Todd, a resident barber of London, has an urge inside of him to kill. As it grows and grows, he comes to fancy a young woman whom he cannot have -- both because she is married and because he is not physically capable. As they grow closer, he lets her in on his secret and a macabre friendship is born -- one a butcher and the other a maker of meat pies.

Ray Winstone is perfect as Sweeney Todd. I don't know him from much outside of "The Proposition" (which everyone loves, but I found disappointing). He has the look of a man worn down by time and heartache, cold enough to kill but sad enough to drive us to sympathy. Other people may picture Todd differently, but I think this look fully captures the darkness and emptiness of the man. All the characters have a very dirty look to them, which I also like -- no perfect conditioning in the hair and daily bathing rituals. I like it raw, and this film gives it to me.

This is not a musical version but simply a film with a dark tale to tell. It interests me to see how this one was presented. As I understand it, the original story came from the 1820s or 1840s. Yet, this film version touches on themes like abortion and the complete absence of God, which I would presume to be quite heavy for the time (though I may be mistaken).

The denial of God, morality and such is the driving force of this film compared to other versions. It's nihilism through and through, which is like the perfect medicine for someone like myself who was raised on heavy doses of Nietzsche, Kafka and Kierkegaard. Horror films often touch the evil in the world and what drives it, but few films -- horror or not -- really get to the deeper philosophic roots of the meaninglessness of the world in our modern time. Some have tried ("Dark City" comes to mind) but this one really hits the spot.

With the Tim Burton and Johnny Depp version having just been released, I presume the BBC version of "Sweeney Todd" will not get as much of a chance. But I would advise you to check it out and compare -- one is a musical, one is not. And Burton, while dark, has his own way of looking at the world. So you're not really seeing the same film twice so much as viewing an entire world fro ma different perspective, something I think is healthy for all of us to do time and again. Give this one a shot, it packs a wallop you cannot deny.

Sweeney Todd in reality not the fairytale that we grew up with...

[LilyRFox · 8/10 · 18 November 2006]

I watched this when it first aired on BBC television and, coming from London and having grown up with the Sweeney story, I was quite excited at the prospect of this version. It seemed a good idea because Sweeney began as a Victorian comic book story anyway,so dramatising it for a modern audience is the logical next step.

When I saw it, I thought it was very good. It did not, however, recapture that youthful, dark fairytale quality that I loved (and all children love) but it did create very real characters. The story is actually disturbing in the sense that Sweeney, who is himself the murderer, is character you feel sympathy toward. This television production is as a previous reviewer said 'not for all tastes', but if you get caught in the story and put it into the context that a Victorian London was actually reading this amazing tale, then this film will get you snared in it web like Sweeney got his victims in the barber's chair. For fans of this programme: You'll probably remember that this was billed as a 15 or so certificate for BBC 1 when it aired, but an 18 certificate directors cut is on release and is supposedly very good so watch out for it!

How did they make a musical out of this story?

[rapidperambulator · 8/10 · 3 January 2006]

This film was made for UK TV, but its a lot better than the majority of Hollywood pap out there. Admittedly it will not be to everyones taste, but that goes without saying. It a simple tale really, but the film gives it a depth i was not expecting.

For me, it was the acting that really makes it stand out - Ray Winstone and David Warner are outstanding.

Ray shows Sweeney to be a kind compassionate person who also just happens to kill people. His character is one of great contradictions then, but his actions highlight the fact that we are all as human beings capable of feats of kindness and also great evil if circumstances dictate.

The script is excellent too, keeping the pace moving nicely, but having time to delve into aspects of religion and philosophy that give the actions of todd a profound resonance.

Overall, an excellent film, highly recommended. But how did they make a musical out of such a macabre tale?

Interesting But Somewhat Slow Variation On The Famous London Story

[gftbiloxi · 7/10 · 3 February 2008]

Although some have tried to argue that he was an actual person, it seems likely that the story of a throat-cutting barber named Sweeney Todd arose first as a bit of urban myth that was developed into an 1846 story titled THE STRING OF PEARLS by writer Thomas Prest. A year later the story was adapted to the stage as SWEENEY TODD, THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET. It proved a popular ticket, and in age that knew little of copyright law, versions of the play were soon springing up all over the place, each one tweaking the story a little bit in the process. Consequently, it is almost impossible to say that any one particular version is "more authentic" than any other.

In this particular version, filmed for BBC in 2006, Todd (Ray Winstone)is a barber who spent twenty years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Released, he finds himself shaving a prison guard and on sudden impulse slits the man's throat. One thing leads to another, as you might say, and he soon makes the acquaintance of bake-shop worker Mrs. Lovett (Essie Davis); his fondness for her not only leads him to set her up in her own business, but to supply the occasional cut of meat as well. The twist to this particular version of the story is in the relationship between Todd and Lovett, the latter of whom is more sinned against than sinning.

The script is quite clever, essentially winding most of Todd's motives (including his interest in Mrs. Lovett) around his own mistreatment while an inmate of the notorious Newgate prison, and both Winstone and Davis are extremely impressive in their performances. But for all the blood, and there is aplenty, and for all the sex, and there is some, the film looks exactly like what it is: a made-for-television movie. It is also rather slow and quite often a bit too "stiff upper lip" for its own good.

The DVD release offers a good transfer but, excepting cast credits, nothing in the way of bonus material. Those interested in the various directions the story has taken will find it intriguing, but most others will likely be only mildly interested.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Another Close Shave

[JoeytheBrit · 6/10 · 23 June 2008]

Dave Moore's TV version of the infamous tale of the bloodthirsty barber Sweeney Todd unsurprisingly bears little relation to Tim Burton's musical version released the following year. This one is much more matter-of-fact in its portrayal of Todd's descent into madness, and gives his motive for killing as revenge for being jailed in Newgate prison as a child for a crime committed by his father. Initially, there is a skewed sense of justice to Todd's reason for killing off his clients but, as his blood lust (and feelings for the neighbouring Mrs Lovett) grows stronger his reasons become less calculated.

Ray Winstone plays Todd. He is a fine actor, but loses some of his screen presence by choosing to underplay the role, his voice rarely betraying any kind of emotion. Despite this it's a choice that suits the character, even if it doesn't the actor. Cutting up his victims in the cellar of his barber shop, stripped to the waist, his bare head gleaming white and his mouth slack, Winstone makes a truly grotesque monster, one made all the more frightening because he is otherwise an extremely quiet and ordinary man.

There's a lot of violence in the film, a lot of slit throats and mutilation of corpses, but, again, it's not given any kind of sensationalistic value. Essie Davis plays Mrs Lovett, another decent character whose descent into monstrosity is sparked by the things that have happened to her rather than any inherent evil. She turns into a grotesque parody of herself as the film progresses, her beauty destroyed by pox scars, sporting fine wigs made by Todd that sit incongruously atop her ruined features. It's all very grim and dark and there is no place for humour, even of the gallows variety. Perhaps a touch of humour, especially on the part of Todd, is what is needed to both round out his character and make his monstrous actions that much more horrific

How well do you trust your barber with a blade?

[lost-in-limbo · 9/10 · 16 March 2007]

18th century London is a rottenly decayed and scummy city that has a horrific secret. The stoutly quiet Sweeny Todd is a well renown barber of London. Supposedly the best, as customers come and go with nothing but high praise for his fluent skills. One day, he basically loses it after some childhood memory triggers a reaction to slit a customer's throat. He cuts up the body and chucks into the river. Then he goes on as if nothing as happened, but these sudden outbursts soon become a pattern. Mrs Lovett has caught his eye and they form a relationship, where he helps her start up a bakery shop near his shop. So now, Todd is providing her with the meat, unknown to her that they are his leftovers.

Fact or fiction is the question of this horror figure? This legendary serial killer figure is the central attraction in this boldly inventive and refreshing British TV feature of the grisly exploits and humane reactions of Sweeny Todd. What could have been just another formulaic story, treads the very well because the thoughtfully encouraged script is brought to life by sensationally characterised performances and a richly atmospheric Victorian setting that reeks with an grimly morbid discharge. The ugliness and the earthly dour colours of it only enhances the cold nature and violently graphic carnage that awaits. It could have gone over board with its unpleasantness, but in the long run the killings do actually play second fiddle to the bustling characters and their complex inner goings. Largely Todd's past. These moments of violence are no more than short and precise bursts that maintain brute force in their confronting depictions.

Giving more weight to the black and white premise are the actors themselves. Their textured performances would go on to help those harrowing examinations become truly stimulating and the ingeniously plotted story strikes up a provocative script (by Joshua St. Johnson), which they shape off and morph expertly. Streaming throughout is an claustrophobic build up in the film's hardboiled direction by David Moore and the tension he does orchestrate is plain nerve wrecking. Ray Winstone's scarred performance is emotionally powering and increasingly deep, despite his understated take of the character. He plays it humbly calm, but when the cracks appear Winstone does it with great integrity and menace. Essie Davis' upfront and igniting performance is nothing but excellent as the whore Mrs Lovett who desires any sort of companionship she can get. There seems to be a strong (and at times surreal) sexual charge between the two that's interestingly displayed. The compelling supporting cast do their jobs. David Warner is professionally solid in a strictly mild turn and Tom Hardy is sincerely perfect in his role as an up-and-coming police officer. The film is stylishly photographed and can become intrusively lingering when it wants to capture that scummy tenor with visual punch. The trance-like musical score is beautifully harmonious and demonstrates some otherworldly cues that only adds more to the brooding nature.

"Sweeny Todd" the director's cut is an exceptionally high quality TV presentation, which is meaningfully acted, unpredictably written and daringly directed. Highly recommended.

Historical Evidence?

[simhedges · 7/10 · 19 August 2006]

This was a reasonable production of an excellent musical, but I recommend the George Hearn / Angela Lansbury version every time.

In a previous comment, alan_cricketman4 from Belfast UK, states: "I can understand producers using artistic licence and having to cut details and chronologically alter events etc., but to change the facts of such a well known and well documented case is just downright silly. I suggest that very little research has been applied here (by producers and reviewers alike) and a good website to browse, and learn further details on the case, is "Court TV CRIME LIBRARY"."

I fact, Sweeney Todd was universally accepted to be an 'urban myth' up to about 1993, due to the lack of other evidence. In 1993, a new book, was published. Of this book, Wikipedia says:

"In his 1993 book Sweeney Todd: The Real Story of the Demon Barber of Fleet, the horror and crime story writer Peter Haining argues that Sweeney Todd was a historical figure who committed his crimes around 1800. However, other researchers who have researched his citations find nothing in these sources to back up what Haining claims they said".

I realise that Wikipedia is not always entirely accurate, but I think it is fair to say that what Mr Haining has done is researched a theory about the origin of Sweeney Todd, which is worthy of consideration, but far from accepted historical truth.

You make your own hell.

[lastliberal · 8/10 · 30 December 2008]

I loved the story of Sweeney Todd after seeing Johnny Depp do the musical number. I loved it so much I am looking for other versions. This one is outstanding.

Unlike Depp's version, this one with Ray Winstone (The Proposition, The Departed, Sexy Beast, Beowulf) is a truer picture of the dark and grimy London of the 18th Century. It is so bad, that you have to cover your nose with a handkerchief when you approach the beggars in the jail to give them a penny.

Sweeney did not set out to kill anyone. He was visited in his barber shop by a jailer that brought back old memories. He killed him without thinking and each time got easier. He becomes attracted to a pie maker Mrs. Lovett (Essie Davis - Charlotte's Web, Maggie from The Matrix sequels). In the course of that relationship, we are introduced to abortion, spousal abuse, and atheism. She is married at the time, but as barbers were also surgeons (without anesthesia, I might add) he dispatches her husband in the process of removing a stone.

They become friends as he is unable to perform, and he sets her up in her own pie shop. She has a steady stream of lovers which he dispatched and presents to her as meat from his brother. She is clueless as to what is going on. This is a far different version than I have seen before and you are really hooked to see what is going to happen. There are some side stories involving a policeman, and Sweeney's father that really added to the mystery.

Winstone and Davis were superb, as was David Warner as the local Magistrate.

The only complaint I had was not really every seeing Mrs Lovett's pies. As Sweeney peeked in on her trysts, we just got to see the guy on top. They could have given us a little peek.

This was slightly better than the Ben Kingsly version, but there are more to see, including another musical.

Pretty good, especially for a TV movie.

[fedor8 · 29 August 2007]

I knew nothing about "Sweeney Todd", the former versions, the basic plot, not even what genre of movie it was - when I pressed "play" - and that's the best way often to watch a movie, especially in an age when you see a million scenes in previews hence feeling as if though you'd already seen the damned thing.

Anyway. ST is a sort of murder/drama with touches of romance even. It's an unusual story, nothing off-the-wall, of course, but with touches of originality. Parts of it are predictable, others aren't. Winstone is very convincing as the title character and this Essie Davis is very good, too, and very attractive. It was about time we see another beautiful British (well, Australian - same thing) woman on film, after a series of nepotistic uglies filthied the screen with their presence: the likes of Emma Thompson, Helena B. Carter, and several others. (Ironically, this Bonham creature plays the same character as Davis in Tim Burton's 2007 version, which must be crap.) Sweeney Todd is a complex murderer; not a psychopath at all (he feels love, remorse, has empathy), with motives only understandable to him. I found it a little odd that Davis would so quickly (after a night's sleep when she survives her disease) get used to the fact that Todd is a butcher and that she ate the meat of her own lovers through his deeds. But that's the only (slight) problem I can think of in an otherwise interesting movie. It might be a TV movie, but looks more like a theatrical release.

I can't imagine why anyone would want to watch Tim Burton's sing-a-long version of this story. It must be garbage.

Cheap but effective BBC Victorian horror

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 4 January 2017]

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!

Gory but deep

[IridescentTranquility · 9/10 · 5 January 2006]

Watching a drama about a character known as the legendary "Demon Barber of Fleet Street" did give me some idea of what I was in for when I sat down to watch Sweeney Todd just after Christmas. Having said that, it would have been all too easy for the writers and producers to write a two-hour script of wall-to-wall slaughter, and I'm glad that they didn't. (Not only because I have no stomach for overtly gory scenes, but because I like to watch something with a little substance to it.)

I watched Sweeney Todd with my mum and, as she pointed out, there was a part of Ray Winstone's Todd that was very benevolent. It might sound at odds with the legendary image of Todd, but to Mrs. Lovett he was capable of well-meaning kindness. (It was very convenient, surely, that Todd knew Mr. Lovett was abusive towards his wife just before Mrs. Lovett called him to assist her ill husband.)

I haven't yet found out much about the real-life (or should that be legendary?) Sweeney Todd, but I think the scriptwriters did well to flesh out a back story for the character. He may have shed more blood on screen than Hannibal Lecter did in The Silence of the Lambs (the throat-cutting scenes - tastefully shot, though they were - I tried to avert my eyes from, gory scenes aren't my thing at all) but Todd clearly wasn't always a maniac, a murderous barber on the prowl, as one might expect. I recognised the beginning of his descent from man to monster when I felt a lot of sympathy for his father as Todd put a stop to him ever being able to give evidence against his own son.

Once the accidental killings occurred and Todd found a rather novel way of disposing of his victims, it took a little longer than you might expect for him to descend into the twisted way of thinking that made him end the lives of so many. Mrs. Lovett was clearly very close to Todd's kinder side, close enough that she was mystified that her multiple lovers never came back to her after a visit to Todd's shop.

I had hoped that the ending might have been a little more positive, but instead both Todd and Mrs. Lovett seemed condemned to a more predictable fate. I'm still undecided whether Todd's final end was a little too obvious, or whether it was a clever way of showing that he was wily enough to gain his jailers' trust enough to be able to end his life in the way that the law dictated.

Not too bad.

[poolandrews · 6/10 · 3 June 2008]

Sweeney Todd is set in London during the early 19th Century where a man named Sweeney Todd (Ray Winstone) runs a barber shop in Fleet Street, one night a jailer (Roger Frost) from Newgate Prison pays for a shave. The jailer reminds Todd of his childhood he spent in Newgate where he was abused by the jailers & in a moment of rage slits the jailers throat. After giving a woman named Nellie Lovett (Essie Davis) an abortion Todd falls for her & buy's her a shop from which she sells meat pies, Todd suddenly hits on the idea of slitting his customers throats, cutting them up & giving the meat to Lovett to turn into pies which quickly become very popular...

This English production was directed by David Moore & was almost certainly made to cash-in on the then forthcoming Tim Burton musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) with Johnny Depp, some say the character of Sweeney Todd was based on a real person but I don't think there is any hard evidence that he was. The script by Joshua St. Johnston plays it straight as a grim drama rather than an over-the-top musical or horror, as one might guess a lot of this films duration is spent trying to get inside the mind of Todd & develop a real character who had real motivations & feelings. Despite this there's not much reason behind his killing, sure the first victim reminded him of his unhappy childhood but thereafter it's not quite so clear cut. The main focus is on the relationship between Todd & Lovett, it's fairly deep & the character's are well fleshed out but Todd's throat slitting activities were of more interest to me so I sort of lost interest in the film as a whole as it decided to concentrate on personal angst & drama. This is not a bad adaptation at all, it moves along at a decent pace, it's well written & tells a good story but it never really grabbed me.

Made for British telly I was surprised to learn that Sweeney Todd was shot in Bucharest in Romania, I mean it was set in London & made by a London based company with British money so why film in Romania? Then again I suppose modern day London looks nothing like it did back in the 19th Century, maybe Romania is a closer match. This is quite gory for a TV production, there's a few gory slit throats, a rotted corpse, sliced up body parts, a severed hand, a tongue severing, a stabbing plus an operation to remove a gall stone & one to remove a bullet. I was disappointed with the way this looked, it just looked flat & cheap especially if you have seen Tim Burton's wonderful visuals on his recent version.

Technically this is alright, I must admit the production design didn't impress me that much & it felt a bit cheap. The acting was fine, Winstone was an interesting choice to play Todd & puts in a restrained performance while it was nice to see David Warner in a small role.

Sweeney Todd is a slightly above adaptation of the often told tale of the demon barber of Fleet Street, it's not bad for what it is but it's hardly life changing & I doubt I will remember anything about it in a week.

Good film, but not Rays best...

[richieandsam · 7/10 · 28 November 2012]

SWEENEY TODD.

It's not bad.

I have seen the Tim Burton version of this story and absolutely loved it. I am a massive Tim Burton fan, and in fact it is one of my favourite Tim Burton movies.

This version of the story was made before Tim's version. It was made for TV apparently and stars Ray Winstone as Sweeney Todd.

Ray is alright in this, but there are times where he is not very believable in this film. I like Ray, I think he has made some great films, but maybe this one was not for him. They could have found someone better to play Sweeney.

There are some really great supporting cast in this film though... it has got Essie Davis playing Mrs Lovett. Essie does a great job. I felt sorry for her a lot of the time in the movie. It also has David Warner, Tom Hardy and David Bradley in it... David Warner is brilliant as always, Tom Hardy plays a detective really well and David Bradley plays Sweeney's father. David Bradley is great in this... but have you noticed how in every film he looks the same? Haha! He is always gonna be Filch to me. J

The effects were alright in most places, but there were a couple of times where I thought the blood looked too unrealistic. Way too thick, it looked like paint.

There were quite a lot of changes in the story in this one compared to the Tim Burton version, but they are both similar also.

I will give this movie 7 out of 10...

I really enjoyed watching this movie and love the story... but it is not Ray's best work.

For more reviews please like my Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ordinary-Person-Movie- Reviews/456572047728204

I forgot how good Ray Winstone actually is.

[RatedVforVinny · 7/10 · 29 August 2020]

'Sweeney Todd' is a nice little T.V movie. An awesome British production that brings to life that ghastly 'Penny Dreadful' story of the 'Demon Barbour of Fleet Street'. Also with a solid supporting cast, which includes a rather wonderful performance by David Warner but It's Ray Winstone himself, that is perfectly cast in the chilling central role. By the end you have great empathy with Todd and even (to some extent) his motive to kill.

Mostly a superb TV movie

[gashamaloo · 9/10 · 5 February 2007]

Being a huge fan of the macabre (especially serial killers) I was very excited to hear this was coming on TV with one of my favourite actors portraying Sweeney. I had shortly before finished reading a biography of Sweeney Todd and enjoyed the film enormously right up until the last few scenes. I'm not going to ruin the film for others by saying exactly how it was ruined for me, except to say that the movie ending - as far as I am aware - contained certain factual differences.

That said, the ending they chose - if you don't know the full story - is probably excellent, and I would heartily suggest that it gets a viewing. Performances by all cast members was great, and Ray Winstone was fantastic.

Sweeney Todd

[jboothmillard · 6/10 · 4 June 2008]

This is nowhere close to the spectacle and splendour of the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp horror musical, but it is certainly a good regular, British adaptation. It is pretty much the same story in Burton's version, except he isn't grieving over a dead wife (there's a twist to that in Burton's version), no victims are made into meat pies, and the lead character kills himself in the end instead of someone killing him. Basically Sweeney Todd (Ray Winstone) is your normal everyday surgeon and barber, and having flashes of a horrible childhood past he suddenly starts murdering his male customers. In amongst the slaughter he has a love for pie maker Mrs. Nellie Lovett (Essie Davis), who is okay not too long after finding out Todd's dark secret, and this certainly shows when she is not bothered about the state of her deteriorating face. Eventually he gets to the point where he was bound to be caught, and he is arrested by Sir John Fielding (David Warner), and sentenced to hanging. In the final sequence however, he gives himself a final shave, and then slices. Also starring Harry Potter's David Bradley as Todd's father, Paul Currier as Thornhill, Tom Hardy as Matthew Payne, Jessica Hooker as Polly and Ben Walker as Tobias. Winstone is pretty good, but obviously not more than Depp, the violence obviously is not as graphic and over-the-top as Burton's, but quite fun to watch. Good!

Sweeney Todd (2006)

[SnakesOnAnAfricanPlain · 9/10 · 31 December 2011]

Exactly how a wonderful story such as Sweeney Todd should be told. Everything about this production is head and shoulders above everything else. First up, we have the setting. This is truly a disgusting London, filled with waste and disease. Next we have Winstone, giving an astonishing performance. It shows how someone like Depp is a performer, but fails to attach himself to the emotional complexity of such a character. Winstone doesn't just decide that people are scum and start offing them. His first kill is a sudden and regrettable impulse. He even checks on the body later in the hopes that he isn't dead. Like so many real-life killers, Winstone's motivations come from a deep rooted psychological trauma. As he continues, the killing becomes the norm. It's his answer to vengeance, suspicion, and his way of attracting a woman. Davis is also brilliant as Lovett. For once this isn't some creepy madwoman, but a fragile and easily manipulated pawn. I can't speak highly enough of this film, or the way it demonstrates how stories from over a hundred years ago, can still be fresh and involving.

Excellent piece of storytelling

[Readnought · 8/10 · 12 February 2008]

You believe in every one of the characters in this movie, as well as this being historical London. (Which it may or may not have been- the story may well be nothing but urban legend, of course.)

Ray Winston does a great job. He has done so often enough, but this one is my favorite, so far.

It's actually pulled off portraying the 'mad barber' as a kindhearted fellow who's really only slightly disturbed (aside from being plenty homicidal) in such a way that you believe it, extreme as it sounds. Well, I certainly did, at least. All thanks to very good acting and character development.

In sum, I found this movie to be far better than the musical edition of the same tale, starring Johnny Depp. But then, I always prefer psychological credibility over costumes and singing.

The Tale of the Demon Barber

[DylansFearFiles · 9/10 · 7 September 2008]

I am a large fan of the tale of Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. This tale has grown into what is indeed a cult favorite. It went from the penny-dreadful, "The String of Pearls: A Romance" into the hit Stephen Sondheim musical and now into this BBC drama starring Ray Winstone. Sweeney Todd is a great movie. A glorious cast and a great new version of the story (I am repeating myself). Todd is more sympathetic in this film than he is in the Sondheim musical and the Tim Burton film. He starts killing and cannot stop. He then befriends a Mrs. Margery Lovett whom he takes her the chopped up bodies of his customers (whose throats he slits and she does not know who or what they are) and she bakes the bodies into her pies. The police start to grow suspicious and launch an investigation. Will Sweeney Todd ever be suspected? This movie is a 10 out of 10. This isn't like any other version of the tale at all. This is a fresh, brand knew version of it. The Demon Barber is a tortured soul in this, he releases his rage in murderous ways. This is probably the best television film. I highly recommend it!

Excellent performances from main players! The closest shave you'll ever have!

[brb5 · 8/10 · 4 January 2006]

Sweeney Todd is a master of his craft, learnt whilst serving 20 years for a murder his father committed. Once on the outside; he excels in his trade as a barber and gains an enviable reputation with customers of all classes. Slowly cracks appear in his professional demeanour and the murders begin..

PROS

A superb performance from Ray Winstone as the demon barber, solid script and well supported by the main characters. Expertly played as a tragic man, Todd comes across as a very complex character; abused and neglected as a child and constantly manipulated by his drunkard murderer of a father. Yet striving for acceptance from his peers, his few acquaintances and surprisingly; his father.

For what could have become a by the numbers period BBC production, Winstone's performance lifts his character, and the simple story to Lecter 'esque levels of screen infamy. Expect some 'Best Actor' BAFTA nominations for this work. The photography is very good, using a superb palette and masterful use of lighting, both artificial and natural. Convincing VFX and competent audio cap a classy production.

CONS: Marred by somewhat dubious casting for the minor roles, and notably the younger members of the cast. If only the younger actors were of Winstone's calibre.

Great film in all respects.

[afawill · 10/10 · 5 January 2008]

This is a great film! It has good period costumes, the charters and acting are convincing, the set is simple and the scenes flow from one to the other. I found myself feeling vary involved in the film.

I am usually disappointed by films set in the past and feel that this is the perfect example of what I like in a period film with the hard accents and the attention to detail of the clothing and furniture.

The Acting was excellent by the actors of all the main characters and it is a great story of life of London's past.

I will find it interesting to see the Johnny Dept version of this film. I am expecting Hollywood to make a mess of it.

It was also fun because it was grim but not gruesome so my wife could watch the whole film.

This is a classic style horror film with a lot to it.

I wouldn't like this barber to cut my hair!

[chris_gaskin123 · 8/10 · 10 January 2006]

I saw most of Sweeny Todd when BBC1 screened it one evening just after New Year 2006. I missed the last half-hour or so though, but I got to know how it ended.

A load of grizzly murders are the responsibility of Sweeny Todd aka The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. We get to see him slashing people's throats and cutting his victims up. He then gives the parts to the local bakery to have pies made, so a bit of cannibalism thrown in. His victims include his lover. Police find out about this at the end though.

The cast includes Ray Winstone, who is excellent as Sweeny Todd and he is joined by David Warner (Titanic, Time Bandits), Tom Hardy and David Bradley.

At least my barber is not like this one! Watch this if you dare. Excellent and wonderfully gory in parts.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5.

Atmospheric and gripping period drama from the BBC

[DVD_Connoisseur · 9/10 · 12 June 2008]

The BBC's production of "Sweeney Todd" is television magic. Beautifully produced and containing memorable performances from Ray Winstone, David Warner and Essie Davis, this is unmissable drama entertainment.

Winstone's Todd is something of a sympathetic figure rather than an out-and-out screen monster. His initial acts of kindness at the start of the film contrast sharply with his psychopathic actions later on. It's a marvellous role for Winstone and he delivers a truly believable performance in the part.

From beginning to end, this is splendid stuff and I'm curious to check out the additional footage of the "Director's Cut".

9 out of 10. The production really captures the atmosphere of Victorian London and goes to show that the BBC still has the ability to delight and astound in equal measure.

Exceptional! Not to be missed!

[operabruin1 · 10/10 · 30 September 2018]

My first exposure to Sweeney Todd was the Broadway Album on RCA. I loved it and played it so frequently that the story is basically forever based on that recording and later on the broadcast of the Lansbury-Hearn live theater filming. Later, I found the Johnny Depo movie an absolute travesty a destruction of the story because of his ridiculous performance.

I just watched this version on Amazon Prime and must say I liked it immensely as indicated by my 10-Star rating. It is very different, yet like the otiginal version of the story from the Broadway, yet it is truly Severe, omitting any trace of tension-releasing bits of comedic relief. Be warned, this is the nasty, dirty London of the time, so severe that it almost makes one feel they might suffocate.

Ray Winstone's absolutely winning performance is wrenching as Sweeney! God is he spectacular in bringing this man into an absolutely believable true-to-life man, and he is supported by a very strong cast of the scum of London's not-necessarily-finest in those times.

Absolutely Not To Be Missed......Believe Me! This made-for-TV movie deserved a theatrical release!

Kudos to all involved in this powerful production!

The story follows Sweeney Todd, a barber in London who becomes a serial killer, and is involvement with a woman to whom he saved the life

[ayamehana0 · 10/10 · 18 July 2014]

As a fan of Essie Davis I was curious when I watched the movie. and I have to admit that it was a wonderful discovery. The story is really great and the actors really good. The story focuses on a psychological aspect and it was disturbing to see Todd so remorseful. It changes from all the killers who seems cold like an ice. even if I hate murders we are captivated through the whole story, help by the love story.

The two characters are great. Even if their fate is sealed, they are so convicted and we somehow wished for something we know won't happened. even though, we are caught by their personality. They are just human with their goodness and their blemish.

It has really violent passage but never unnecessary : they just add some reality to the plot. The murders and the gruesome is inevitable.

The soundtrack was really great even if i can't find it anywhere but nonetheless, it was a perfect match to the period. It has really creaped me out sometimes but some music were very beautiful.

And as I already said, the story is blessed by two wonderful actors. I already liked Davis but she really amazed me, as did Ray Winstone. I have never been bored and I even with the god review that I had read, I didn't expected to enjoy it so much. Though I'm not fond of horror and bloody movies.

So give it a try and don't think of the musical by Burton. just enjoy the story by it own. I think you won't regret it.