Sleepers (1996)

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.

Director:

Barry Levinson

Writers:

Lorenzo Carcaterra (book), Barry Levinson (screenplay)

Stars:

Robert De Niro, Kevin Bacon, Brad Pitt

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 4 nominations.

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

Storyline

Four boys growing up in Hell's Kitchen play a prank that leads to an old man getting hurt. Sentenced to no less than one year in the Wilkenson Center in upstate New York, the four friends are changed by the beating, humiliation and sexual abuse by the guards sworn to protect them. Thirteen years later and a chance meeting lead to a chance for revenge against the Wilkenson Center and the guards.

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Plot Keywords:

boy | prank | guard | revenge | friend | 

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Taglines:

When friendship runs deeper than blood

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

14

Details

Official Sites:

Levinson.com

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 October 1996 (Canada)

Also Known As:

La correction

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$44,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

ITL 10,597,781,000 (Italy) (15 November 1996)

Gross:

$53,300,852 (USA) (24 January 1997)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Baltimore Pictures, Polygram Filmed Entertainment, Propaganda Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

147 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The code name "Edmund" that is used in the paper to notify Micheal that he needed to contact Shakes is the name of the main character, Edmund Dantes, from "The Count of Monte Cristo".

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Goofs

During the trial, the outside scenes are shot at the Manhattan Municipal Building which house city offices, not the courts. The courthouses (federal and state) and the district attorneys office are located a few block north of the municipal building at Foley Square.

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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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Connections

References Little Caesar (1931)

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Soundtracks

Catch a Wave
Performed by The Beach Boys
Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love
Courtesy of Capitol Records
Under license from EMI-Capitol Special Markets

User Reviews

The Sleeper of 1996

Sleeper(1996) is a deeply emotional and brilliant film that was overlooked in 1996. It deals with the past and how events from the past can be instrumential in shaping the present. The movie was very controversial due to the subject matter. I believe that one reason that Sleepers(1996) didn't get the praise it deserved is the film deals with things that were already present in Mean Streets(1973) and Once Upon a Time in America(1984). The first half of the feature reminds me a lot of the flash back sequences from Once Upon a Time in America(1984). Brad Pitt gives what I see as the best performance of his life. What I also like about Sleepers(1996) is that it puts together two of the best actors of their genreation in Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro.