Three Oscar winners deliver a triple punch when they watch "Little Things" on HBO Max. The crime thriller stars Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, and Jared Leto and is the first of Warner Bros.' 2021 films to be released in theaters and on HBO Max on the same day.

"Little Things" is set in the 1990s, when Deputy Sheriff Joe "Deke" Deacon Washington) teams up with a sergeant (Malek) to pursue a serial killer in Los Angeles. As the investigation progresses, Deke's painful past is unearthed. Leto, who plays the main suspect, has been nominated for a Golden Globe and a SAG Award.

The film is directed by John Lee Hancock, who directed The Rookie, The Blind Side, and 2019's The Highwayman.

In December, Warner Bros. surprised Hollywood by announcing that all 2021 films will be released simultaneously on HBO Max and in theaters. The studio had already planned to do so for "Wonder Woman 1984," and now it will deploy the same release strategy for "Godzilla vs. King Kong," "Suicide Squad," and "Dune. These films will be available on HBO Max for 31 days, after which the streaming service will end.

The first film is The Little Things, a small-budget drama with a big-name cast.

HBO Max's The Little Things is currently available for streaming; it premiered on January 29 and will be available on the service for 31 days (through February 28).

The HBO Max app is available for Roku, Apple TV, iPhone, iPad, Android devices and Android TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, Playstation 4 and PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, Samsung TV (2016 and later), Chrome, Firefox and Safari web browsers.

Just because HBO Max isn't available everywhere doesn't mean you have to miss The Little Things on the go. It's very easy to watch it along with the rest of the Internet. With the right VPN (Virtual Private Network), you can stream the show wherever you are.

We evaluated many options, but the best VPN is ExpressVPN, which meets the VPN needs of most users, offering excellent compatibility with most devices and blazing connection speeds. It is also reasonably priced at $12.95 per month. (The cost is even lower if you sign up for a long-term contract of 6 months or a year.)

In Canada, "Little Things" opens in theaters on January 29 and online for $24.99 for a premium video-on-demand rental.

Americans abroad who want to subscribe to HBO Max can check out VPN services such as ExpressVPN to try it out.

In the UK, Little Things is scheduled for theatrical release on February 12 (where it will be released). It is not known if it will also be released digitally.

The trailer for Little Things begins with Denzel Washington saying ominously, "You should've listened to that one little feeling." He seems to be talking to a corpse in the morgue. You can talk to me," he tells her.

He then links up with an astute sergeant, played by Rami Malek, who is leading a serial murder investigation; they are two very different people, but when it comes to catching a killer, two smart guys have an advantage over one.

The cast of Little Things includes Denzel Washington as Kern County Deputy Joe "Deke" Deacon and Rami Malek as LAPD Detective Jim "Jimmy" Baxter.

They join:

Reviews of The Little Things are mixed. Here are some of the critics' comments.

A.O. Scott, New York Times: "Hancock's deftness and the training of his actors are more than enough to make the film watchable, but it will not enthrall, disturb or amaze. But you won't be enthralled, disturbed, or surprised. It just feels that way."

Eric Eisenberg, Cinema Blend: "Seeing Denzel Washington and Rami Malek together certainly makes me want to pair them up again in a more gritty film, and the two actors do what they can with this material."

Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly: " . It has been reborn as a slow-burn mood piece, a serial killer thriller that is perhaps more immersed in character and smoldering than in the outcome of its central mystery."

Brian Truitt, USA Today Little Things, a 1990s crime thriller of sorts, has been sitting on the shelf for about 20 years. Frankly, it probably should have stayed that way.

A.A. Dowd, AV Club: The Little Things is pure formula. There is hardly a moment in the film that does not remind one of its dozen or so predecessors, either in form, content, or both. The presence of two "THE WIRE/The Wire" alumni in the supporting roles of the two military officers conveys the atmosphere of writer-director John Lee Hancock's skillful but inaccurate approximation of the proceedings."