Summary

  • The theory that Deacon is the killer in The Little Things is supported by clues, but there is also counterargument for his innocence.
  • Deacon's behavior and actions, such as his knowledge of the red barrette and possession of a truck fitting the killer's profile, can be seen as suspicious.
  • While Deacon is a killer himself, there is not enough evidence to definitively pin the murders in The Little Things on him or anyone else.

A theory on the identity of the killer in The Little Things puts forward that it's the corrupt police officer, Deacon, who is responsible, and The Little Things ending has Reddit sleuths on the case. In the film's conclusion, Joe Deacon (Denzel Washington) and Jim Baxter (Rami Malek) have no answers to their murder mystery. Instead of solving his case, Baxter ends up murdering the prime suspect Albert Sparma (Jared Leto). Instead of turning Baxter in, Deacon conveniently helps him cover it up, just as Deacon's colleagues helped him cover up an accidental murder of his own years earlier.

Deacon may be the real killer in The Little Things, but for every clue that he's the culprit, there's a plausible counterargument for his innocence. There's not enough evidence to reveal the real killer's identity in The Little Things, which is what makes the mystery so frustrating. Deacon's guilt is central to the movie's story, and he states several times that "It's the little things that get you caught," first referring to the suspect, and then Baxter when they are covering up Sparma's murder. That's just one of the little things that give credence to The Little Things killer theory.

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Ronda Rathbun Disappeared During Deacon's First Night In Town

Is It Coincidence That Deacon's Arrival Is Marked By Murder?

Ronda (Maya Kazan) with a red barrette in her hair in The Little Things speaking to a man..

There are several reasons many believe Deacon is the killer in The Little Things. Ronda Rathbun suspiciously disappears on Deacon's first night in town, which may be a coincidence, but it's the first thing any detective would look for in a suspect: opportunity. If there was any evidence for Deacon being the real killer, he would have no alibi that clears him of suspicion.

While several scenes follow Deacon's whereabouts during the night, a timeline of his actions isn't given, allowing him a window of opportunity to follow Rathbun and dispose of her. However, opportunity alone is not enough to saddle him with Ronda's disappearance, and since her body is never found, she may not be dead or even kidnapped.

Deacon Knew Exactly What Ronda's Red Barrette Looked Like

Was He Easing Baxter's Pain Or Framing Sparma?

At the end of The Little Things, Deacon buys a red barrette and sends it to Baxter to relieve Baxter's guilt. Some may argue that this implies Deacon has insider knowledge about the barrette that only the killer would. Baxter did tell Deacon about it, but that doesn't explain how he knew what it looked like.

The only time the real red barrette is visible is the night Ronda was running with her friend, and it's unclear if the one that Deacon sent Baxter is the same. Additionally, if Deacon was the real killer in The Little Things, he could've sent the real thing.

Deacon's Car Fits The Mileage And Trunk Space Profile

The Key Vehicle Could Have Been Hiding In Plain Sight

Deacon's (Denzel Washington) truck next to a barrel on fire in The Little Things.

In addition to having the opportunity to kidnap and kill Ronda, Deacon also drives a truck that fits the profile of what the detectives decided the killer in The Little Things would need to commit such a murder. His truck has the trunk space and the mileage (presumably because it's an old, worn-out model) that the investigators are looking for in The Little Things' murder case. However, the car that follows Ronda is clearly not a truck, but a four-door sedan, and it is clearly shown in the movie, which somewhat discredits The Little Things killer theory.

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Deacon Is Just As Grossly Obsessed With Murder As Sparma

A Relentless Dedication Or A Twisted Passion?

Deacon is seen behaving in many bizarre ways since getting involved with Baxter's investigation. He has visions of the victims in the unsolved case from his years as a detective, he keeps the files and photographs from that case on the wall of his hotel room, and he talks to Mary Roberts' corpse.

All this behavior seems to be a part of his involvement in Baxter's case, which he believes to be connected to his unsolved case from years ago. At times, his detective work seems more like a gruesome obsession with murder and death. However, his odd methods are common strategiess investigators employ when tracking serial killers.

Why Deacon's Boots Were So Suspicious

Wearing Boots Of A Murderer Raises Questions

Deacon (Denzel Washington) wearing the killer's boots in The Little Things.

Deacon wears the boots of a suspect in a murder case back in Kern County. He's originally sent to Los Angeles specifically to get these boots, but it turns out later that they were no longer needed, so he ultimately went to L.A. for nothing. While Deacon wearing the boots seems like the act of an unhinged murderer, he is likely trying to empathize with the killer by literally walking in their shoes. Empathizing with serial killers is a controversial technique used by investigators in murder cases, but it is hardly evidence he's the real killer in The Little Things.

Deacon Is A Killer, But Was It On Purpose?

Was He Nearly Caught Before?

A piece of bloody bullet shrapnel pulled from someone, held by metal pincers.

Ultimately, Deacon is a killer, having accidentally killed the girl in his unsolved case years ago. Instead of confessing, he gets his then-partner and a medical examiner to cover up the killing. This cover-up and Deacon's strange behavior in the movie might point to the fact that the girl's death was no accident. It's possible that he was the real killer in that unsolved case from years ago and that he shot the girl on purpose, although his motivations remain murky and hidden, just like many of The Little Things' biggest unanswered questions.

It's possible that Deacon might have thought the girl was dead from the stab wounds, and when she appeared in the woods, he shot her to finish the job, not because he was startled. Regardless of his strange behavior and his real crimes, if Deacon is the real killer in The Little Things, there is simply not enough evidence to pin the murder on him or anyone else.

If there was, star detective Baxter would surely have figured it out, leading to the complete avoidance of Sparma's death towards the end. Either that or he simply wasn't as good a detective as everyone thought.

Reddit's Thoughts On The Little Things' Ending

The Social Aggregation Site Has Some Theories About The Little Things

Denzel Washington as deputy sheriff Deacon, wearing sunglasses and a hat in The Little Things.

Reddit, as it tends to do, has explored many theories about who the real killer in The Little Things is. However, there does not seem to be much of a consensus reached. One user, maddlabber829, posts a long thought about how Deacon must be the killer due to his boots and how the film lingers on that piece of attire,

Another user, Russian_trafficker, disagrees with the Deacon theory and posits that the answer is simple, "We do actually get to see the murderer for a brief second when Denzel visits the AAA repair shop. He’s the employee drinking coffee." With some convincing pictures, the user lays out what happened,

Reddit user BeardedMovieMan may have the most convincing argument for why Deacon is the killer in The Little Things. The poster discusses clues like the boots as well as the fact that Deacon is one of the only characters to drive multiple cars, which the killer is said to do. BeardedMovieMan also points to the many times in The Little Things when Deacon just happens to be in the right place at the right time to find some key piece of evidence,

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Is The Little Things Based On A True Story?

The Decades-Long Development Drew From Real Police Stories

Many wonder if The Little Things is based on true events, and the answer isn't definitive. John Lee Hancock, who wrote The Little Things, began working on the film in 1993 when L.A.'s Night Stalker murders were still at the forefront of the public consciousness and films like Silence of the Lambs were winning Oscars. Hancock even worked closely with a homicide detective to take field notes.

However, the movie's case, as well as The Little Things' characters, are fictional. Deacon and Baxter's story is imbued with the spirit of serial killer cases, but the movie isn't based on a true story.

What Director John Lee Hancock Says About The Little Things

The Little Things Ending Challenges The Audience's Desire

Denzel Washington's Deacon smiling in The Little Things

What's not widely known about The Little Things is that Hancock had written the script almost 30 years prior to making it. The writer-director bided his time, but the story about cops taking matters into their own hands stuck with him for years, finally leading the movie to come to fruition long after it had been written.

Hancock changed little about the script when studios picked it up, and filming eventually wrapped the day before Thanksgiving in 2019. In an interview (via IndieWire), Hancock discussed why he directed the film himself when so many others were interested, and why the killer in The Little Things subverted all expectations:

"It was subverting a genre. It seemed that all psychological thrillers, serial killer movies, and crime dramas had two interesting parts followed by a third with twists and misdirections. In the third act, you identify who the bad guy is and face off with him, usually in an action sequence, and the good guy dispatches the bad guy in a grisly way. The thematic intentions are different than people thought they would be. There’s no joy in Mudville at the end of this movie."

Hancock wanted to highlight different aspects of a murder mystery movie, focusing more on the cops gradually unraveling as they face a tough case. Different from many movies in the genre, the killer in The Little Things is never revealed. Rather, the movie focuses on how Deacon was a killer, instead of trying to do a classic cold case film. However, that has led to The Little Things killer theory, and the whole speculation is what makes The Little Things so great.

Watch on Max

Thriller

When Kern County Deputy Sheriff Joe Deacon goes to Los Angeles to gather evidence for an assignment, he becomes heavily invested in a serial killer case in the city. Denzel Washington stars as Joe 'Deke' Deacon in the John Lee Hancock directed film alongside Academy Award winners Rami Malek and Jared Leto.

Release Date
January 29, 2021
Cast
Sofia Vassilieva , Isabel Arraiza , Stephanie Erb , Denzel Washington , Kerry O'Malley , Rami Malek , Jason James Richter , Terry Kinney , Adam J. Harrington , Jared Leto , Tom Hughes , Chris Bauer , Natalie Morales , Michael Hyatt

  • The Little Things movie poster
    The Little Things
    Release Date:
    2021-01-29
    Cast:
    Sofia Vassilieva, Isabel Arraiza, Stephanie Erb, Denzel Washington, Kerry O'Malley, Rami Malek, Jason James Richter, Terry Kinney, Adam J. Harrington, Jared Leto, Tom Hughes, Chris Bauer, Natalie Morales, Michael Hyatt
    Director:
    John Lee Hancock
    Genres:
    Thriller
    Rating:
    R
    Writers:
    John Lee Hancock
    Runtime:
    128minutes
    Budget:
    $30 million
    Studio(s):
    Warner Bros. Pictures
    Distributor(s):
    Warner Bros. Pictures