Sleepers (1996)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Barry Levinson

Writers (WGA):

Lorenzo Carcaterra (book)
Barry Levinson (screenplay)

Release Date:

18 October 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

When friendship runs deeper than blood

Plot:

After a prank goes disastrously wrong, a group of boys are sent to a detention center where they are brutalized; over 10 years later, they get their chance for revenge.

Plot Keywords:

Guard | Revenge | Prank | Beating | Abuse

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Kevin Bacon	...	Sean Nokes
Billy Crudup	...	Tommy Marcano
Robert De Niro	...	Father Bobby
Ron Eldard	...	John Reilly
Minnie Driver	...	Carol Martinez
Vittorio Gassman	...	King Benny
Dustin Hoffman	...	Danny Snyder
Terry Kinney	...	Ralph Ferguson
Bruno Kirby	...	Shakes' Father
Frank Medrano	...	Fat Mancho
Jason Patric	...	Lorenzo 'Shakes' Carcaterra
Joseph Perrino	...	Young Lorenzo 'Shakes' Carcaterra (as Joe Perrino)
Brad Pitt	...	Michael Sullivan
Brad Renfro	...	Young Michael Sullivan
Geoffrey Wigdor	...	Young John Reilly

MPAA:

Rated R for language, graphic violence and two scenes of strong sexual content.

Runtime:

147 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | Iceland:16 | Philippines:PG-13 | New Zealand:R16 | Australia:MA | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 (bw) | Italy:T | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (original rating) | UK:18 (video rating) (1997) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Cafe Elysian - 1001 Washington Street, Hoboken, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Baltimore Pictures

Trivia:

Author Lorenzo Carcaterra has claimed that his book on which the film is based was a true story of his childhood. When the New York legal community went on record stating that no cases resembling the events of his book could be found in any court records, Carcaterra refused to discuss the discrepancy. His claims have been neither proven or disproven.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the hot dog wagon starts to fall down the subway, the umbrella stays on the stairs. Then we see it being crushed by the wagon. Then it's back on the stairs again.

Quotes:

Father Bobby: What about the life that was taken, Shakes? What's that worth?
Lorenzo: To me? Nothing.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Bill Pullman/New Edition (#22.3)" (1996)

Soundtrack:

The Warmth Of The Sun

Really good and full of powerful performances - underrated if a bit flawed overall

This movie made a fuss when it came out because there were claims that its author had lied about it being "based on a true story." As a result it become a sort of infamous title and people cared less about the film's content and more about its "accuracies."

Well, frankly I don't really care about whether or not the story is true because I know things similar to this _do_ happen - children are abused and using this as a backbone for a revenge film may seem a bit inappropriate but it is handled with care by director Barry Levinson and the highly talented ensemble cast treat it with caution.

Robert De Niro gives a convincing performance as the Catholic priest who is a father-figure to a bunch of disillusioned Brooklyn youth. After they accidentally injure a man during a rebellious incident they are sent away to a juvenile facility where they are sexually and physically abused by the evil warden (Kevin Bacon). Years later two of the boys (now grown men) take revenge on Bacon and kill him in a public area. They are sent to trial but not all is what it seems - representing the case is someone involved with the past and there are some other interesting twists along the way.

The abuse isn't really the subject of this movie - instead the "what if a trial could be rigged?" question is more prescient. (Think "Runaway Jury" meets "Deliverance.") The cast is fantastic - De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Brad Pitt, Jason Patric, Minnie Driver, Bacon, et al. It's a movie buff's dream come true! If only Al Pacino had popped up....

De Niro has been given a bad reputation lately as a "sell-out" - but he provides a really deep and multi-layered performance here. It's too bad people forget about this movie along with some others he made around the turn of the decade because a lot of them were very good. This is one of them.

Levinson ("Rain Man," "Diner") is sometimes a bit too heavy on schmaltz in his films and that's the reason many people (myself NOT included) disliked "Rain Man." However here - for the most part - he abandons this and presents the material with a good touch. It's atmospheric and dark - it feels a bit like De Niro's "A Bronx Tale" and "Diner" colliding together.

Overall this is a really good film that is not without its flaws but is still engaging and surprising and underrated - a must-see for any self-respecting film buff.

4.5/5