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Sleepers (1996)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Release Date:
18 October 1996 (USA)
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Tagline:
When friendship runs deeper than blood more
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. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Guard
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Prank
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Revenge
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Humiliation
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Sexual Abuse
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Awards:
Nominated for Oscar.
Another 1 win
&
4 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(9 articles)
Jerry Bruckheimer Still Wants to Play 'Apaches'
(From Cinematical. 13 October 2009, 9:45 AM, PDT)
Bruckheimer Hires Scriptwriters for Apaches
(From HeyUGuys. 13 October 2009, 4:30 AM, PDT)
(From Cinematical. 13 October 2009, 9:45 AM, PDT)
Bruckheimer Hires Scriptwriters for Apaches
(From HeyUGuys. 13 October 2009, 4:30 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Really good and full of powerful performances - underrated if a bit flawed overall
more (202 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | 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 |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for language, graphic violence and two scenes of strong sexual content.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
147 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
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:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
This was Billy Crudup's film debut.
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Goofs:
Boom mic visible: Visible when Father Bobby visits young Shakes at Wilkinson.
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Quotes:
[first lines]
Lorenzo: This is a true story about friendship that runs deeper than blood. This is my story and that of the only three friends in my life that truely mattered. Two of them were killers who never made it past the age of 30. The other's a non-practicing attorney living with the pain of his past - too afraid to let it go, never confronting its horror. I'm the only one who can speak for them, and the children we were.
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Lorenzo: This is a true story about friendship that runs deeper than blood. This is my story and that of the only three friends in my life that truely mattered. Two of them were killers who never made it past the age of 30. The other's a non-practicing attorney living with the pain of his past - too afraid to let it go, never confronting its horror. I'm the only one who can speak for them, and the children we were.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Mad About You: Outbreak (#5.7)" (1996)
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Soundtrack:
Alone Again, Or
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (202 total)
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| News articles | IMDb Crime section | IMDb USA section |
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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