Following the announcement late in 2020, The Little Things is the first Warner Bros. movie of 2021 to get the simultaneous release in theaters and on HBO Max. The movie stars Denzel Washington as a police officer helping a young detective (Rami Malek) investigate a serial killer when they come across a compelling suspect (Jared Leto).
The Los Angeles-set mystery thriller centered around an older and younger detective sounds like a familiar direction for this genre. While The Little Things finds ways to distinguish itself from other such movies, it certainly does bring to mind some other memorable thrillers worth seeking out.
10 Gone Baby Gone (2007)
The Little Things isn't the typical story of good versus evil as the ending throws a lot of things into question. It seems as though the movie wants the audience to debate what is right and what is wrong. A similar movie that also featured that debate was Ben Affleck's directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone.
The movie centers on a young private detective who investigates the disappearance of a small girl in Boston. As he digs deeper into the mystery, he uncovers a truth that leaves him with a difficult decision about the right thing to do.
9 The Bone Collector (1999)
This is not the first mystery thriller Washington has appeared in. The acclaimed actor also played the leading role of another mentoring detective in The Bone Collector. Washington plays a paraplegic detective who coaches a young officer (Angeline Jolie) through the investigation of a series of grisly murders.
It is another dark and suspenseful crime story featuring a central performance by Washington that really elevates the material. He and Jolie make a solid duo as they track this killer together.
8 Basic Instinct (1992)
Another theme of The Little Things is the idea of a detective getting too involved with the case they are investigating. Washington's character is a former homicide detective who knows the toll this can have, and he begins to see it happening with Malek's character getting increasingly obsessed with the prime suspect.
In Basic Instinct, Michael Douglas' detective character also gets caught up in his case and becomes obsessed with a suspect — although for very different reasons. He becomes infatuated with the seductive and manipulative woman (Sharon Stone) he believes to be the killer.
7 Mystic River (2003)
Clint Eastwood's Mystic River is another mystery thriller that shows the hunt for justice is not always as clear-cut as one thinks. Sean Penn stars as a former criminal whose daughter is murdered. As he goes on his own mission of revenge, the police begin to suspect his childhood friend (Tim Robbins) was involved.
Like The Little Things, this turns from a story of how one can be blinded by their desire to see justice done and lead them astray.
6 L.A. Confidential (1997)
The Little Things and countless other movies have used Los Angeles as a backdrop for their dark and seedy crime stories. L.A. Confidential looks into the city's past to tell a brilliant noir story about a trio of cops all wrapped up in the same conspiracy.
At the center of the movie are two cops played by Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce. They feel quite similar to the characters played by Washington and Malek respectively, as one is an intense man willing to bend the rules while the other is by-the-book until he is gradually corrupted.
5 Sea Of Love (1989)
Yet another Los Angeles-set mystery thriller is Sea of Love. Al Pacino stars as a detective who gets involved with a woman who may be involved in his latest murder investigation.
While it shares more than a few similarities with Basic Instinct, Pacino's main character also shares a lot of similarities with Washington's character in The Little Things. Both are talented detectives who are not the most popular with other cops and are willing to bend the rules when they deem it necessary.
4 Memories Of Murder (2003)
Before Bong Joon-ho made Oscar history with Parasite, he made a stunning crime thriller that many consider to be his masterpiece. It is based on the true story of South Korea's first serial killer case, which remains unsolved.
The movie is as much about the cops at the center of the investigation as it is about the investigation itself. Like the characters in The Little Things, they just want to bring this thing to a conclusion and are willing to believe any suspect is their man so long as it means closure.
3 Prisoners (2013)
Denis Villeneuve's Prisoners is another example of a thriller that asks how far someone can go for the right reasons before they become the bad guy. Hugh Jackman stars as a father whose daughter is taken. When the police have to let their prime suspect go, he takes matters into his own hands.
It is a brutal and uncomfortable movie that has the audience sympathizing with Jackman's character one moment then disgusted with him the next. It also features a memorable prime suspect whose guilt and innocence are constantly in question.
2 Se7en (1995)
The dynamic of the older and experienced detective paired with the young hot-headed detective is most famously seen in Se7en. Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt star as detectives investigating a series of murders based on the seven deadly sins.
Throughout their gruesome investigation, Pitt's young detective gets more and more frustrated with the brutality of it all. This leads to the infamous ending in which he is confronted with a dark choice that feels quite similar to the ending of The Little Things.
1 Insomnia (2002)
Al Pacino once again stars in a mystery thriller, this time in Christopher Nolan's early movie, Insomnia. Pacino plays a Los Angeles detective sent to help out with a murder investigation in a remote Alaskan town. But when he makes a terrible mistake, he finds himself spiraling out of control.
There are actually a lot of similarities between this movie and The Little Things, from the taunting suspect to the guilt-ridden cop to the mentor relationship. It also seems to pull off the ending The Little Things tried to do in a more effective way.
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February 06, 2021 at 06:30AM
