It’s the ’90s, and a killer is on the loose in Los Angeles. Bodies have been washing up, and the murderer is nowhere to be found. But when an obsessive deputy sheriff from the country teams up with a by-the-book detective, their relentlessness leads them down a dark road that brings them inches away from the truth… or so they think. The 2021 movie The Little Things from John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side) stars Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, and Jared Leto.

When will The Little Things be released?

Stream it now.

Who’s in the cast of The Little Things?

• Denzel Washington (The Tragedy of Macbeth) as Joe Deacon, aka Deke, a deputy sheriff
• Rami Malek (Mr. Robot) as Jim Baxter, a sergeant at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD)
• Jared Leto (Zack Snyder’s Justice League) as Albert Sparma, a repairman 
• Chris Bauer (The Wire) as Sal Rizoli, a detective
• Michael Hyatt (Snowfall) as Flo Dunigan, a pathologist at LASD
• Terry Kinney (Billions) as Carl Farris, a captain at LASD
• Natalie Morales (Dead to Me) as Jamie Estrada, a detective

Rami Malek, Jared Leto, and Denzel Washington in The Little Things

What happens in The Little Things?

When Deputy Sheriff Joe “Deke” Deacon (Washington) is sent down to gather evidence in Los Angeles from his post in Kern County, California, he’s a bit frustrated. He left the LA County Sheriff’s Office years ago, and he’s not one to revisit his complicated past. While in LA, he visits the scene of a murder involving a serial killer who stalks young women. It sparks his memory: The case seems a lot like one from his past… one he could never solve, despite his dangerous obsession with it. 

Having reignited his preoccupation with the case, Deke goes on leave from his position in Kern County and joins LA detective Jim Baxter (Malek) with hopes of solving it. But as Baxter grows just as hell-bent as Deke on finding the perpetrator, the case takes them on a path they may never recover from — especially after encountering a strange man, Albert Sparma (Leto), who becomes their prime suspect.

Is The Little Things based on a book?

Nope. The story is original to the film. 

Rami Malek in The Little Things

Is The Little Things based on a true story?

No, The Little Things is not based on a true story. 

Where does The Little Things take place?

The thriller takes place in Bakersfield, California, and in Los Angeles. 

Denzel Washington in The Little Things

Who’s the killer in The Little Things? How does The Little Things end?

It’s… complicated. Baxter and Deke are convinced that the uber-creepy Sparma is the killer, but the investigators’ laser focus on solving the case clouds their thinking. It’s true, Sparma’s not a great dude — he seems to get a thrill from hearing about the lurid details of the case, even bringing Baxter to where he’s allegedly buried the body of Ronda Rathbun. But it’s there that Sparma reveals he isn’t the killer. Is he innocent? Is this all just part of his weird kink? Whatever the case, Baxter can’t accept it. He’s too close to the case, too obsessed with pinning this all on Sparma. He loses his cool and hits Sparma with a shovel, killing him. 

Deke, who understands Baxter’s relentlessness regarding the elusive murderer, tells Baxter to bury the body and forget the whole thing. Deke has skeletons in his closet, after all: While investigating a serial murder case years ago, he accidentally shot and killed a woman who’d been trying to flee her would-be killer, which caused Deke years of psychological distress. Now he’s complicit in covering up yet another crime — and Rathbun’s killer may never be found. Deke sends a final piece of evidence to Baxter (a barrette belonging to Rathbun) so they can put the case to rest once and for all. But the evidence is fraudulent; the barrette’s brand new from the store. Deke just doesn’t want Baxter to suffer like he did.