In this Holywood incarnation of Stephen Sondheim's musical Sweeney Todd (The Demon Barber of Fleet Street), Tim Burton collaborates once again with Johnny Depp and his real-life wife, Helena Bonham Carter to aid him tell the story of the plight of a good family man and the events that lead him on his way to hell as he turns into a vengeful serial killer.

Johnny Depp plays a young and talented barber in London named Benjamin Barker. He was living a happy life as a barber with his wife Lucy (Laura Michelle Kelly) and their baby daughter, when the lust of Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) ruined their lives. The Judge has Depp arrested on trumped-up charges and sent away to prison so he can move in and take his wife.

Fifteen years later Barker changes his name to Sweeny Todd and  returns to London with the help of a young sailor named Anthony (Jamie Campbell Bower). He visits the pie shop of Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), an old friend who recognizes him and tells him that after his arrest,  Beadle Bamford (Timothy Spall),  Judge Turpin's henchman, tricks Lucy to attend a masquerade ball and beg the Judge to free Barker.  Lucy was given a devilish concoction that knocked her unconscious and led Turpin to rape her in front of his masked-guests in the party.  Mrs. Lovett tells Todd, that in desperation, Lucy committed suicide by drinking poison. While their daughter Johanna (Jayne Wisener) eventually became the ward of Judge Turpin.

At this point all of Barker's  hope, innocence and optimism are now replaced by anger, bitterness and thoughts of  revenge. As Sweeney Todd, he  unleashes his vengeance not only on Judge Turpin & Beadle Bamford but also on the people of London. He takes up his old profession as a barber… but this time his razor not only serves his purpose for giving closer shaves but has become Todd's instrument of death.



• Visually Stimulating. I'd have to say that Tim Burton's visual style definitely hits the sweet spot for this film.  The combinational use of darkness and muted colors coupled with crimson blood visually stimulates and leaves the viewer with an edgy and gritty feel of how a man filled with vengeance would view his environment. The production design and special effects were used effectively  and definitely enhanced the mood of each scene.  Although,  I'd have to say that the gore of seeing throats getting slit made me feel squirm-ish but I'd have to admit that the violence is quite justified by the story.

• Depp has Depth. If you thought Pirates of the Caribbean's Capt. Jack Sparrow was strange, just wait until you see Johnny Depp's performance as Sweeny Todd. Depp definitely fits the role to a tee and shows his great acting prowess to summon all sorts of dark energy to play a singing, murderous London barber. I'd have to agree with Depp when he said in an interview that in playing Sweeney Todd, he had to make Sid Vicious look like the innocent paper boy. And in my book, Depp absolutely pulled this off...he's simply beyond dark.  He’s acting was spot on in playing a man robbed of his wife and child and unmistakably his sanity, and evidently fueled by rage and vengeance.

• Perfectly Loathsome Villains. Having the main protagonist of a movie as a serial killer poses a problem of how detestable his antagonists should be. It was a huge challenge to have a character be the BAD GUY when Sweeney Todd is standing across from him and make Todd look more sympathetic… .  But Allan Rickman, Sacha Baron Cohen & Timothy Spall delivered the much needed evil, charisma, humor, cleverness and savagery to this film which makes you feel like Sweeney Todd’s murderous streak of vengeance justified.



• Monotonous Music.  I’d bet a lot of musical aficionados would have a thousand reasons why the music of Sweeney Todd is the best musical score ever written for theatre…especially since it was written by non other than the great Stephen Sondheim…but except for “Not While I’m Around”, the rest of the songs used in the film adaptation is simply forgettable for me.


Sweeney Todd definitely has great visual direction and is enjoyably gruesome.  If you’re the squirm-ish type who hates to see gore and blood,  DON’T watch this film.  But if you’re willing to open your mind and accept the darkness of the storyline, then you’ll probably appreciate getting a peak at the life of an outraged man robbed of his wife, child and sanity. Despite the dastardly evil acts revealed in this story, in the end, a morbid twist of serendipity ties all the gruesomeness in place. One can simply deduce that harboring a vengeful soul leads to destruction and that revenge could never truly replace justice.  

I wish there were more songs with greater recall in this Musical so I give it….Four Bottlecaps on my book!