Following the ambiguous, polarizing end of the 2021 psychological thriller, The Little Things (2025) returns with a darker, more introspective continuation. Still directed by John Lee Hancock, this sequel explores not only the lingering guilt of unsolved crimes but also the irreversible damage such obsessions can leave behind.
Set two years after the original, the film finds Detective Jim Baxter (played again by Rami Malek) suspended from the force and plagued by the consequences of his moral compromise. As a string of eerily familiar murders begins haunting Los Angeles once more, Baxter is reluctantly pulled back into the fold—not by duty, but by the need to silence the guilt that has been devouring him from within.
With Denzel Washington’s character, Joe "Deke" Deacon, presumed dead or missing, his legacy looms over the story like a ghost. Through found journals and recorded tapes, his voice and presence echo throughout the film, blurring the line between mentorship and madness. This spiritual return adds layers of tension as Baxter grapples with what Deke believed: that sometimes the smallest details—the “little things”—are the most damning.
The film introduces Zoë Kravitz as FBI profiler Alina Reyes, who brings a fresh and skeptical perspective to the case. Her dynamic with Baxter is complex: part rivalry, part uneasy alliance. Together, they navigate a series of gruesome murders, with each clue dragging Baxter further into paranoia and obsession.
Cinematically, the film continues the moody aesthetic of its predecessor—grimy urban streets, dim motel rooms, and shadow-soaked interrogation rooms. The soundtrack is hauntingly minimalist, with moments of silence that speak louder than any dialogue. The pace is slow and deliberate, mirroring the psychological weight of its themes.
However, what truly elevates The Little Things (2025) is its focus on character over crime. This is not a traditional detective story with a satisfying resolution—it’s a psychological unraveling. Rami Malek delivers a tightly controlled performance, his expressions flickering with fear, doubt, and rage. The line between justice and vengeance becomes increasingly blurred, and as the case deepens, so does his unraveling sense of self.
That said, some audiences may once again feel frustrated by the film’s refusal to deliver clear answers. Like its predecessor, it chooses ambiguity over closure, character over clarity. But for fans of slow-burn psychological thrillers, this is part of the film’s quiet brilliance.
The Little Things (2025) is a bold and brooding sequel that refuses to play by conventional rules. Haunting, introspective, and morally complex, it explores the ripple effects of unresolved guilt and the weight of past sins. It doesn’t promise answers—but it delivers deeply unsettling questions.
