A matter of details: An effective thriller carried by a great Denzel Washington (review)

Suffering from the comparison with Seven but with a delightful ambiguity and amorality, the new John Lee Hancock arrives today on VOD

It was in the early 90s while he was finishing the screenplay forA perfect world that John Lee Hancock wrote A matter of details. A thriller where two cops with opposing methods must team up against a serial killer. Thirty years have passed, Hancock has signed eight films (including The Blind Side And In Mary's Shadow) before bringing to the screen this scenario which still takes place in the 90s. A good idea? Spontaneously, we would want to answer in the negative. With its mismatched detective duo and manipulative serial killer figure, A matter of details directly evokes Seven And Zodiaccompared to which he pales in comparison.

However, if we ignore this comparison, A matter of details does not lack assets: the tension that he knows how to create but especially Denzel Washington once again impressive as a cop who, broken by an investigation that he was unable to resolve, sees in the hunt for this serial killer with similar actions of the one on whom he could not lay his hands a means to take his revenge and save the past. Opposite him, Rami Malek (who plays his partner) also looks pale. And then there is this scenario that is less clear than it seems. Particularly around the figure of the one who seems far too ideal a culprit (Jared Leto as always at ease like a fish in water in this type of borderline role) to really be one. Fleeing the spectacular, conducted with mastery, A matter of details enjoys piling up doubts when he only seems to show certainties until a twisted epilogue that his apparent classicism did not allow us to guess.

Of JJohn Lee Hancock. With Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto… Duration: 2:08. Available on VOD and DVD from May 5.