You remember 1990. Pre-cell phones and social media, the Internet was only emerging, and only those geeky scientists were talking about DNA evidence. 1990 policing was all about putting in the time: stakeouts, walking the pavement, knocking on doors, searching for witnesses. The Little Things portrays that era well.
(One of my favorite scenes is when one of the detectives relays some important information to his partner by pulling his car off the Interstate and using a call box to make the call. It was the Stone Age of detective work.)
Washington's Joe Deacon is nearing the end of his career, consumed by the events of a case that changed his life and career path. Malek's Jim Baxter is an up-and-coming, buttoned-down cop consumed by putting the bad guys away at all costs. Their obsession to close cases has take a toll on their professional and personal lives. Relationships have soured, their reputations are tainted, and it appears that their mental health is starting to be affected.
Veteran cop Deacon teaches cop-on-the-rise Baxter that it's the "little things" involved in police work that are important for solving a case. Over the course of the film Baxter also learns that the "little things," too, are important to manage when you step out of bounds to achieve a greater good.
Washington is terrific as the subdued, humbled, and haunted Joe Deacon. And Malek -- who I've not really warmed up to thus far in movies -- is very good as the flashy and aggressive Jimmy Baxter. Jared Leto, who plays the suspected killer, transforms the movie every time he's on screen. He's both scary and funny, and at different times convinces the audience of his innocence and of his guilt.
Leto's Albert Sparma will be a character remembered.
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