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The Little Things
Movie

The Little Things

2021 • Crime, Drama, Mystery

Woke Score
3.4
out of 10

Plot

Deke (Denzel Washington), a burnt-out Kern County, CA deputy sheriff teams up with Baxter (Rami Malek), a crack LASD detective, to nab a serial killer. Deke's nose for the "little things" proves eerily accurate, but his willingness to circumvent the rules embroils Baxter in a soul-shattering dilemma. Meanwhile, Deke must wrestle with a dark secret from his past.

Overall Series Review

The Little Things is a throwback neo-noir crime thriller focused on the psychological and moral decay of its male detectives. The narrative follows an experienced, haunted cop and his ambitious, idealistic partner as they become embroiled in a serial killer case that forces them to confront the blurry line between justice and moral compromise. The film's primary theme is the corrosive effect of obsession and failure on the human spirit and on institutional integrity, which it explores through a dark secret from the past that contaminates the present investigation. While the central casting is racially diverse, the story's core conflict is based on character dynamics and moral burden, not on political or identity-based ideology. Female characters are notably underdeveloped, serving mainly as victims or background figures. The film is fundamentally a character-driven procedural that delves into the spiritual vacuum left by unresolved trauma, avoiding modern political lectures on race, gender, or sexuality.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics2/10

The film centers on the moral struggle of two detectives, one Black and one of Middle Eastern descent, with their white colleagues and the white antagonist. The story's central conflict revolves around the moral toll of the job and a cover-up, not race or systemic oppression. Character merit, intuition, and moral choices are the driving forces of the plot, not immutable characteristics. The diverse casting appears colorblind and non-political in its function.

Oikophobia5/10

The central dramatic tension stems from the idea that the institution of law enforcement leads to moral corruption, emotional devastation, and a willingness to abuse power for a perceived greater good. The narrative explores how the police system can fundamentally rot the soul of its protectors, which frames a key institution of the home culture as inherently damaging. The film lacks gratitude or respect for institutional structure, but this is a focus on specific institutional failure, not a condemnation of Western civilization at large.

Feminism1/10

Female characters are almost exclusively victims of a serial killer, spouses, or underutilized background officers. There are no 'Girl Boss' or 'Mary Sue' tropes presented in the main or supporting cast. The story revolves around the internal and professional dynamic between the three lead men. The film does not feature anti-natalist messaging, but portrays marriage and family life as casualties of the male detectives' obsessive careers.

LGBTQ+1/10

The narrative makes no reference to alternative sexualities, gender identity politics, or a critique of the nuclear family structure. The focus remains on the psychological suspense of a classic serial killer procedural, making the subject of sexual ideology completely absent from the film's concerns. The structure is entirely normative.

Anti-Theism5/10

The core of the movie is a struggle with guilt, morality, and the psychological haunting of past mistakes, suggesting a spiritual vacuum or moral law at play, rather than a direct attack on religion. The main characters operate from a place of moral relativism in their work, believing that a dark, unsanctioned action can bring about peace. This reflects a lack of transcendent morality among the protagonists but does not position traditional religion as a source of evil.