THE TALE OF SWEENEY TODD

Rated R for violence/horror.
92 minutes running time
Third Row Center Films/Showtime
Directed by John Schlesinger
Rating:

The original serial killer comes to life in a grizzly tale set in late 1700's London. Ben Kingsley (Gandhi) plays Sweeney Todd, a barber by trade. This movie doesn't touch on Todd's past persecution and the reason for his madness, but rather jumps right in with a trip to the barber shop on Fleet Street.

Sweeney Todd has come to be known for his ultra close shaves and killer haircuts. His favorite patrons are the rich ones! After a visit to his special barber chair, he turns his customers over to his lady love, the proprietress of Mrs. Lummet's World Famous Meat Pies, for a special treatment of her own.

As the story opens, the viewer is transported to the world of London past. The screen is filled with details of everyday life where the perils of just walking down the street come to light. Trades, still in practice today, take on a very different look. The barber, for instance, is also a wig maker and styler, a surgeon and bone setter and a dentist, in addition to his more traditional role of shaving and cutting men's hair.

Not excessively gory or violent, I wondered why the film got an R rating. After first viewing it myself, I turned it over to my kids and they loved it! They also picked right up on the period details. If you like movies with a slice of life going on in the background, you'll want to give this one of look. Not to mention mankind's fascination with serial killers. It's hard to resist.

NOTE:Want to see where it all took place and check out the barber chair for yourself? Click here to find out more. Barber of Fleet Street.