Sweeney Todd: The Devil Barber of Fleet Street.

“I was never fascinated by theater-based dramas… Until Sweeney Todd played his razor in front of my face and right then I came to appreciate one.”

Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway musicality was brought into the reel scene by director Tim Burton in Sweeney Todd: The Devil Barber of Fleet Street.

‘ Sweeney Todd’, is a name which mirrors a sweet and charming character. ‘The Devil Barber of Fleet Street’, the atrocious, vile and infamous subtitle supports the former to pervade the movie’s essence. Such contradiction of titles makes a deep impact.

The dark plot of the movie is set in a Victorian England era. The story revolves around Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp), a chaste barber of Fleet Street who used to live a downright life with his wife Lucy (Laura Michelle Kelly) and little daughter Johanna. Darkness started to show when Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) butt into the scene claiming his lust for Barker’s wife. In order to get Lucy from Barker, Judge Turpin used his corrupt power to accuse him of a crime he never committed. Then, Barker was exiled to Australia and was sentenced to six years of hard labor.

After six years, Benjamin Barker returned and was sealed with great hopes of seeing his family again. He made a subtle comeback with a new label to hide his true identity. It was then that he revealed himself as Sweeney Todd.

In his return to Fleet Street, he made a conspiracy with Ms. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), a widow and a baker in her own meat pie shop. Ms. Lovett told Todd that his wife committed suicide and his daughter was in Judge Turpin’s ward.

With hatred and revenge rushing in him, Todd began dispersing his wicked plans to the people who made his past life miserable. Because of that, Todd kept a thought in his mind: “They all deserve to die!” He set up a barber shop above Ms. Lovett’s shop. He invited his costumers with his sweet smile and cunning manner. After luring every person, he simply ran his razor across his victim’s throat.

Suspense works in a different way as Johnny Depp shifts his character from a charming barber to a cutthroat on the loose. The movie didn’t hang me on the line, though some action lovers would claim it to be because of the movie’s rich dialogue and emotion-filled lyrics. This film is balanced in terms of its approach to its audience-Not too exaggerated and not too lame, not too descent and not too unbecoming.

The sticky thick, tomato-red blood oozing from the necks of Todd’s victims is one of the manifestations of the film’s innocent yet gruesome display of manslaughter. Innocent, in a manner that after Todd butchers his preys, he acts as if nothing happened and goes on with his monotonous life. Gruesome, in a way of how he slashes his victims’ necks, not mentioning the outcome after the death of his victims; they are made into meat pies!

Tim Burton really did a great job and had given the right directions in this movie. The adaptation he made was way better than the original stage play. Of course, that includes his taste in the selection of his characters.

Speaking of characters, Johnny Depp who took the role of a vengeful maniac really moved me. The way Depp portrayed Sweeney Todd surely impressed me and I appreciated him more of his acting skills. The movie shows Depp’s versatility and unconventional character. And to think, he had to sing like a Broadway star even though it wasn’t in his vocabulary. He explicitly made me feel how he wanted vengeance though he patiently waited for his main target, Judge Turpin, to take the bait. I can say that Johnny Depp is the exact actor to take the role of Sweeney Todd and no other than any actor of his generation. Don’t say that I’m bias. I just liked his first appearance in the movie Nightmare in Elm Street way back when he was still in the midst of his youth. If you would likely to watch the movie, you would realize his irresistibility. This is one of the bests of Johnny Depp in his movie career.

Helena Bonham Carter as Ms. Lovett also did her part well (considering she is used to such kind of drama) and took the singing thing reverently. Her voice came natural and sure enough to include in musical Broadways. Her pale complexion matched with Johnny Depp’s, making them just like the pair in Corpse’s Bride.

The movie ended in complete tragedy. One died after the other including Ms. Lovett and Sweeney Todd. This shows that the partners-in-crime had the dose of their own medicine. This also applies to real life situations. We all know that revenge is no good in either of the two parties involved. One may get the satisfaction but the lifelong stain of one’s hands from an act of animosity will leave a stink in man’s life. It taints man’s morality and his sentiments to the world.

The movie, a mixture of crime, hatred and musicality all packed in one, is an eye-opener for those who wish to strike back to their adversaries. It gives us a hint of what will be the outcome of our rage, whether we would end up in Sweeney Todd’s fate or just simply live our lives with utmost guilt. So to speak, I can conclude that though this film has less visual effects and only has a countable number of casts, it is still riveting and worth an hour and a half across your couch.