Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Johnny Depp | ... | ||
Helena Bonham Carter | ... | ||
Alan Rickman | ... | ||
Timothy Spall | ... | ||
Sacha Baron Cohen | ... | ||
Jamie Campbell Bower | ... | ||
Laura Michelle Kelly | ... | ||
Jayne Wisener | ... | ||
Ed Sanders | ... |
Toby
(as Edward Sanders)
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Gracie May | ... | ||
Ava May | ... | ||
Gabriella Freeman | ... | ||
Jody Halse | ... |
Policeman
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|
Aron Paramor | ... |
Policeman
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Lee Whitlock | ... |
Policeman
|
In the Victorian London, the barber Benjamin Barker is married to the gorgeous Lucy and they have a lovely child, Johanna. The beauty of Lucy attracts the attention of the corrupt Judge Turpin, who falsely accuses the barber of a crime that he did not commit and abuses Lucy later after gaining custody of her. After fifteen years in exile, Benjamin returns to London under the new identity of Sweeney Todd, seeking revenge against Turpin. He meets the widow Mrs. Lovett who is the owner of a meat pie shop who tells him that Lucy swallowed arsenic many years ago, and Turpin assigned himself tutor of Johanna. He opens a barber shop above her store, initiating a crime rampage against those who made him suffer and lose his beloved family. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Despite the grim expectations from the story synopsis, the film delivers gore in a surprisingly tasteful way. There are no screaming teenagers running from a lunatic; instead we get a somewhat British blend of satire, slapstick and just "wrong" humor. Although I'm not much of a Johnny Depp fan, I enjoyed his performance as well as Helena Bonham Carter's. Even the portrayal of the common clients was stunning.
Despite being generally familiar with the story, I fell into some traps expecting specific twists, yet something different (and better) being delivered. This is a model of how to do dark humor that filmmakers should and probably will follow. It is most refreshing. Don't read the story and don't read any spoilers until you've seen it.