Stars: 2/5 How is it that a 90âs era crime thriller written and directed by John Lee Hancock (who worked on hits like "The Founder" and "The Blind Side") and starring Denzel Washington, Rami Malek and Jared Leto can be so painstakingly boring and unconvincing as a movie? The answer? Forgetting the little things that matter when making a movie. Originally written by Hancock in 1993 for Steven Spielberg to direct, "The Little Things" revolves around seasoned deputy sheriff Joe âDekeâ Deacon (Washington) who teams up with Jim Baxter (Malek), a up and coming LAPD detective, to solve a recent string of serial murders. As Deke wrestles with a dark secret from his past, the duo believes their prime suspect to be ever-creepy loner, Albert Sparma (Leto).