Watch Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a musical thriller film directed by Tim Burton and released in 2007. Johnny Depp stars as the title character, Benjamin Barker, also known as Sweeney Todd, a vengeful barber who seeks revenge against the corrupt Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman), who sent him to prison on false charges and stole his wife and daughter from him.

The movie is based on the 1979 musical of the same name written by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler, which in turn was based on the 19th-century legend of Sweeney Todd, a barber who killed his customers and served their bodies to his neighbor's pie shop. The film stays true to the dark and twisted tone of the source material, but also adds Tim Burton's signature style of macabre humor and visual flair.

The movie opens with Sweeney Todd returning to London after 15 years of imprisonment in Australia. He meets Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), a struggling pie maker who runs a shop underneath his old barber shop on Fleet Street. She tells him that his wife poisoned herself after being raped by Judge Turpin, and that his daughter Johanna (Jayne Wisener) is now the ward of the judge.

Consumed by his desire for revenge, Sweeney Todd reopens his barber shop and starts luring his old customers to his chair with promises of a close shave. However, instead of giving them a trim, he kills them with his razor and drops their bodies through a trapdoor into the bakery below, where Mrs. Lovett uses the flesh to make her infamous meat pies.

As Sweeney Todd's killing spree continues, he becomes more and more unhinged, haunted by the memory of his wife and driven to madness by his thirst for revenge. He also becomes obsessed with Johanna, his daughter, who is trapped in a loveless marriage to Judge Turpin's ward Anthony (Jamie Campbell Bower). Meanwhile, the vengeful judge and his henchman, Beadle Bamford (Timothy Spall), are closing in on Sweeney Todd, suspecting him of the murders.

Despite its macabre subject matter, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is also a musical, with songs by Stephen Sondheim that range from haunting ballads to upbeat numbers. Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, who have starred in many of Tim Burton's films, deliver strong performances, with Depp's brooding intensity and Bonham Carter's dark humor adding depth to their characters. Alan Rickman and Timothy Spall are also excellent as the ruthless Judge Turpin and his slimy accomplice.

Visually, the movie is stunning, with Tim Burton's Gothic aesthetic creating a haunting and eerie atmosphere. The sets and costumes are intricate and detailed, and the use of dark colors and shadows adds to the sense of foreboding. The cinematography, by Dariusz Wolski, is also impressive, with swooping camera movements that enhance the musical numbers and create a sense of disorientation during the violent scenes.

Overall, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a thrilling and darkly entertaining movie that combines grisly horror with catchy tunes and strong performances. It's a testament to Tim Burton's skill as a filmmaker and to the enduring appeal of the Sweeney Todd legend, which continues to fascinate and terrify audiences.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a 2007 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 56 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.3 and a MetaScore of 83.