SWEENEY TODD.It's not bad.I have seen the Tim Burton version of this story and absolutely loved it. I am a massive Tim Burton fan, and in fact it is one of my favourite Tim Burton movies.This version of the story was made before Tim's version. It was made for TV apparently and stars Ray Winstone as Sweeney Todd.Ray is alright in this, but there are times where he is not very believable in this film. I like Ray, I think he has made some great films, but maybe this one was not for him. They could have found someone better to play Sweeney.There are some really great supporting cast in this film though... it has got Essie Davis playing Mrs Lovett. Essie does a great job. I felt sorry for her a lot of the time in the movie. It also has David Warner, Tom Hardy and David Bradley in it... David Warner is brilliant as always, Tom Hardy plays a detective really well and David Bradley plays Sweeney's father. David Bradley is great in this... but have you noticed how in every film he looks the same? Haha! He is always gonna be Filch to me. JThe effects were alright in most places, but there were a couple of times where I thought the blood looked too unrealistic. Way too thick, it looked like paint.There were quite a lot of changes in the story in this one compared to the Tim Burton version, but they are both similar also.I will give this movie 7 out of 10...I really enjoyed watching this movie and love the story... but it is not Ray's best work.For more reviews please like my Facebook page:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ordinary-Person-Movie- Reviews/456572047728204

The BBC's production of "Sweeney Todd" is television magic. Beautifully produced and containing memorable performances from Ray Winstone, David Warner and Essie Davis, this is unmissable drama entertainment.Winstone's Todd is something of a sympathetic figure rather than an out-and-out screen monster. His initial acts of kindness at the start of the film contrast sharply with his psychopathic actions later on. It's a marvellous role for Winstone and he delivers a truly believable performance in the part.From beginning to end, this is splendid stuff and I'm curious to check out the additional footage of the "Director's Cut".9 out of 10. The production really captures the atmosphere of Victorian London and goes to show that the BBC still has the ability to delight and astound in equal measure.

This is nowhere close to the spectacle and splendour of the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp horror musical, but it is certainly a good regular, British adaptation. It is pretty much the same story in Burton's version, except he isn't grieving over a dead wife (there's a twist to that in Burton's version), no victims are made into meat pies, and the lead character kills himself in the end instead of someone killing him. Basically Sweeney Todd (Ray Winstone) is your normal everyday surgeon and barber, and having flashes of a horrible childhood past he suddenly starts murdering his male customers. In amongst the slaughter he has a love for pie maker Mrs. Nellie Lovett (Essie Davis), who is okay not too long after finding out Todd's dark secret, and this certainly shows when she is not bothered about the state of her deteriorating face. Eventually he gets to the point where he was bound to be caught, and he is arrested by Sir John Fielding (David Warner), and sentenced to hanging. In the final sequence however, he gives himself a final shave, and then slices. Also starring Harry Potter's David Bradley as Todd's father, Paul Currier as Thornhill, Tom Hardy as Matthew Payne, Jessica Hooker as Polly and Ben Walker as Tobias. Winstone is pretty good, but obviously not more than Depp, the violence obviously is not as graphic and over-the-top as Burton's, but quite fun to watch. Good!

This was a reasonable production of an excellent musical, but I recommend the George Hearn / Angela Lansbury version every time.In a previous comment, alan_cricketman4 from Belfast UK, states: "I can understand producers using artistic licence and having to cut details and chronologically alter events etc., but to change the facts of such a well known and well documented case is just downright silly. I suggest that very little research has been applied here (by producers and reviewers alike) and a good website to browse, and learn further details on the case, is "Court TV CRIME LIBRARY"."I fact, Sweeney Todd was universally accepted to be an 'urban myth' up to about 1993, due to the lack of other evidence. In 1993, a new book, was published. Of this book, Wikipedia says: "In his 1993 book Sweeney Todd: The Real Story of the Demon Barber of Fleet, the horror and crime story writer Peter Haining argues that Sweeney Todd was a historical figure who committed his crimes around 1800. However, other researchers who have researched his citations find nothing in these sources to back up what Haining claims they said".I realise that Wikipedia is not always entirely accurate, but I think it is fair to say that what Mr Haining has done is researched a theory about the origin of Sweeney Todd, which is worthy of consideration, but far from accepted historical truth.