Floyd the Barber, This is Not.

94. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Tim Burton, 2007)

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is Tim Burton's film feature based on the popular stage musical. The film is a tragedy turned devilish story of vengeance as long time Burton collaborator Johnny Depp cuts through the picture as Sweeney Todd along with Burton's wife, and regular actress, Helena Bonham Carter as Todd's accomplice, Mrs. Lovett. Benjamin Barker, a talented barber, is unjustly sentenced to work in Australia by a deceitful and corrupt judge who does so to have his way with the barber's wife. The film opens with Barker's return to London a changed man, Benjamin Barker is no longer with us, he is now Sweeney Todd a demon desiring vengeance.

Sweeney Todd is Tim Burton's Liveliest film in years. It features a talented cast with the likes of Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, and a surprise turn by Sacha Baron Cohen joining Depp and Carter. The musical's story coincides nicely with Tim Burton's delight in stylistic thematic macabre and feels like the most fun Burton has had with one of his films since Sleepy Hollow (1999), and Burton's liking to Gothic design fits perfectly with the story's setting. One of my main problems with Burton's previous picture, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), was the way it felt mechanical. Scenes played out like a procedure. The group would go to a room, a child would be injured, they'd pack them off to some arbitrary location, and then they'd continue to the next room and repeat. Sweeney Todd however moves more natural and feels more organic. Perhaps the people are driven by simple themes and motivations but they are nonetheless genuine.

The music and design of the picture really drive it as well. London is a dark, dank, decrepit hole and Todd has no desire to restrain himself in his description of the city throughout the film. He uses his barber's chair to rid the city of the vermin he sees as its citizens. The splattering of blood with each killing is like a release for the character. His anger and rage, his tormented past pours out from each strike with his straight blade razor. Though some will be upset with the way the music from the stage was edited, it still drives the story considerably well. Rather than a musical to showcase its numbers, it's a film and story propelled by them. Above all, the movie is a devious good time. It highlights the passionate immediate release in the vengeance of its titled character though its theatrics allow us to simultaneously feel enjoyment and revulsion as we watch him exact his revenge.

10 Films of 2007:

9. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Tim Burton)
10. Eastern Promises (David Cronenberg)