Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) R - 3½ Stars

Just looking at the DVD cover you know it's going to be a dark movie. I bought this movie in a 4-$20.00 special at Block Buster. But without reading the box, I thought it was about vampires and just knew it had to be good with Tim Burton at the helm. Well, like a vampire movie, there IS blood and killing and violence but in an awkward way, there's beauty too. Johnny Depp singing in a musical, wow, he's pretty darn good in his role as the master barber. With his partner in crime Helena Bonham Carter, doing a smashing job. I really liked the performance of little Edward Sanders. It's a fun sort of "Little Shop of Horror" type movie, just made me close my eyes through a lot of it.

Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp), has been away from town for 15 years and not by his choice. You see, 15 years ago Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman), was jealous of Sweeney's wife and wanted her desperately. Along with the aid of Beadle Bamford (Timothy Spall), the judge arranged the lock up of Sweeney, sending him far away for a long time. Judge Turpin took Sweeney's wife away and locked his daughter Johanna (Jayne Wisener), out of reach of anyone but himself. But revenge will be sweet as Sweeney moves back into town to make the judge pay. Mrs. Nellie Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), offers Sweeney the room above her meat pie shop and Sweeney goes to work giving the closest shaves in town. The two help each other become sucessful and befriended by a street boy Toby (Edward Sanders), the family setting seems almost complete. Business if bombing in the eatery, but the beggar woman on the street (Laura Michelle Kelly), keeps an open eye on the customers that go into Sweeney's shop for a shave and never come out.

Awards Include:

2007 - Phoenix Film Critics Association - Best Costume Design
2007 - Hollywood Foreign Press Association - Best Picture - Musical or Comedy
2007 - Phoenix Film Critics Association - Best Young Actor
2007 - St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association - Best Score
2007 - Washington D.C. Film Critics Association - Best Art Direction

DreamWorks, Paramount Pictures
Director: Tim Burton
Writer: John Logan
Producers: Laurie MacDonald, Walter Parkes, Richard D. Zanuck

I viewed 3/10