From April 2007:
http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=26993Final Thoughts:
Early buzz from the UK sets has Johnny Depp lining up for a trip to the Academy podium come Oscar '08. Indeed, word from Stephen Sondheim (who had some role in approving the casting, at least from a musical standpoint) has the iconic actor delivering 'the performance of a lifetime'. In the long litany of song styling Todds (Len Cariou, George Hearn), Depp has a hard act to follow. It is perhaps time to add Ray Winstone's name to that list – at least from a serious thespian point of view. He is very good in the role, and along with Essie Davis's disturbing take on Mrs. Lovett, elevates Sweeney Todd: The Director's Cut above other well-meaning adaptations. Easily earning a Highly Recommended rating, anyone looking for a less exploitative, and less sensational view of this time honored story, there is a lot to like about this humanistic approach to the horror legend. Sweeney Todd may not have existed in real life, but in the fictional world of film and other entertainment mediums, his is an intriguing immortality.