The Little Things

In 1990s Los Angeles, burned-out county Sheriff Joe "Deke" Deacon (Washington) is once again immersed in the job that once imploded his career and relationship with his wife when he begins investigating a string of recent homicides. With a serial killer murdering young women and terrorizing the city, Deke is roped into working with the young Det. Jim Baxter (Malek), and the pair soon narrow in on repair store recluse Albert Sparma (Leto) as the lead suspect. Following their hunches, Deke and Baxter put their careers on the line to prove Sparma is their guy.

Director: John Lee Hancock. Stars: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto, Chris Bauer, Michael Hyatt, Terry Kinney, Natalie Morales, Isabel Arraiza, Joris Jarsky. 128 mins. 2021. Drama.

Judas and the Black Messiah

In 1968, Bill O’Neal (Stanfield) is arrested after posing as an FBI agent and attempting to steal a car. Seeing the value in having an undercover informant infiltrate the Chicago chapter of the Black Panther Party, FBI agent Roy Mitchell (Plemons) offers O’Neal a deal: infiltrate or go to jail. Tasked with embedding himself within the Black Panther Party and becoming close to its chapter's leader, Fred Hampton (Kaluuya), O’Neal begins working his way up the ladder of the Black Panther Party and becoming involved in its initiatives all while relaying information back to Mitchell. As his connection to the Panthers grows, O’Neal must choose between betraying Hampton and staying loyal to the FBI.

Director: Shaka King. Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback, Ashton Sanders, Algee Smith, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Lil Rel Howery, Dominique Thorne, Martin Sheen. 126 mins. 2021. Biography.

The Virtuoso

Living with the guilt of a job gone bad, a professional hitman known only by the name "The Virtuoso" (Mount) accepts a cryptic new assignment from The Mentor (Hopkins), his boss, to settle an outstanding debt. Sent to a rural diner in a sleepy town, The Virtuoso is only given a time around which his mystery target might appear. Without knowing who his new mark is, The Virtuoso must suspiciously navigate the human landscape of the town while a connection with the waitress (Cornish) at the diner threatens to complicate his plans.

Director: Nick Stagliano. Stars: Diora Baird, Anthony Hopkins, Abbie Cornish, David Morse, Anson Mount, Eddie Marsan, Richard Brake. 110 mins. 2021. Action.