Movie Review: Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007, Tim Burton)

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Cast: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Sacha Baron Cohen, Timothy Spall, Jaime Campbell Bower, Laura Michelle Kelly, Jayne Wisener, Ed Sanders
Screenplay: John Logan (Based on the Broadway Musical by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler)
116 minutes / Color

Tim Burton’s adaptation of Steven Sondheim’s immortal musical is put to the screen with a refreshing tone to it that works all too well. An complete gore fest full of dark comedy and amazing set pieces, “Sweeney Todd” remains to be more then a period-musical (ala 2004’s “Phantom of the Opera”) and becomes an entertaining, enthralling film with delectable performances and fine direction.

Based on the Broadway musical that shocked audiences when it was released, the story tells of a young barber named Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp) who lives a happy life with his wife Lucy (Laura Michelle Kelly) and his baby daughter Johanna (Jayne Wisener). What Benjamin doesn’t know is that the cruel Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) is actually in love with his beautiful partner.

In an act to separate them, the judge sends Benjamin to a British Penal Colony and abducts his wife and daughter. After satisfying his lust of Lucy, the judge then moves on to Johanna but waits for her to be a little older…

15 years later, Johanna is being treated as a young ward under Judge Turpin while Lucy seems to be “missing”. With the help of a young sailor named Anthony (Jaime Campbell Bower), Benjamin escaped the Penal Colony and goes back to England. But he goes back as someone new, no more Benjamin Barker but a “Sweeney Todd” now.

He goes back to his old home/Barber’s shop on top of Mrs. Lovett’s (Helena Bonham Carter) meat pie show. As they get reacquainted, they begin to conspire of Sweeney’s revenge to Judge Turpin for taking his daughter away and for (Mrs. Lovett says that Lucy killed herself by drinking poison) making his wife kill herself.

Meanwhile, in Anthony’s short time in London, he had found his love of his life, a young girl sitting by a window sill named Johanna. As Johanna is in the watchful eye of the Judge and his servant Beadle (Timothy Spall), Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett decide the best way to kill the judge is to kill him when he comes to Sweeney’s shop for a shave. But how do they get him to the shop? Popularity off course.

Sweeney then competes in a fight with Adolfo Pirelli (Sacha Baron Cohen) to see who the best barber in town is. After his victory, the Judge makes his way to Sweeney’s shop after deciding he would marry Johanna. But in an awkward and rather shocking comment, Anthony walks right in before the killing and ruins everything for Sweeney.

Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett decide that getting the judge back to the shop won’t be that easy anymore. So they decide to practice on a few honorable throats. As Sweeney keeps killing innocent souls, Mrs. Lovett’s meat pie business is rising again for whenever he’d kill someone, she’d make them into “delicious” meat pies. Not only did the business rise, but also Mrs. Lovett’s affections for Sweeney.

In the final act, Sweeney does his revenge and finally kills the judge, and Anthony saves his true love. After the killing, a crazy woman walks in and Sweeney decides to kill her as well. But as he goes downstairs to the bakery, he sees Mrs. Lovett try to burn the woman’s body immediately. Sweeney, however, notices something. As he comes closer to the woman, he notices that she isn’t only a crazy old hag, but his wife Lucy!

Sweeney’s anger shifts to Mrs. Lovett because she told him that she died from poisoning years ago. Sweeney then throws Mrs. Lovett in the fire to burn. As he picks up his deceased wife up in his arms, Mrs. Lovett’s loyal assistant slits his throat, letting him rest forever,

Tragic huh? Well is really is. But somehow that’s the entire beauty of the projects. Though its not the best musical of the year even (people who know me know that I’m an absolute “Across the Universe” AND Beatles fanboy), I must say that the performances and production values of “Sweeney Todd” really impressed me.

First I have to mention the spectacular Johnny Depp, YES, I do think he deserved his Oscar nominations, but there was someone 100x better then him. This beautiful, female creature it off course his co-star Helena Bonham Carter. Her Mrs. Lovett was flawless, cheap BUT chic, elegant (in a raggy way) and just pure entertaining. Not to mention the depths and power she put in such a bland performance, supposedly overshadowed by the male lead. Helena, I’ll always be more faithful to your performance, because you were absolutely better.

Tim Burton creates one of his best directorial pieces (however, I do like “Big Fish” (2003)) more. But Burton’s choices for the production are oh too brilliant. The set decoration was stunning and was built with grandeur. The costumes were exquisite. The cinematography was amazing and the “gorgeous blood” was just right to make the film the “beautiful gore-fest musical” it intended itself to be. It was pure entertainment from start to end and is something Burton-fans and movie-fans alike should enjoy.