Light Sleeper (1992)

A drug dealer reconsiders his profession when his boss plans to go straight and an old flame reappears.

Director:

Paul Schrader

Writer:

Paul Schrader

Stars:

Willem Dafoe, Susan Sarandon, Dana Delany

1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Willem Dafoe	...	John LeTour
Susan Sarandon	...	Ann
Dana Delany	...	Marianne Jost
David Clennon	...	Robert
Mary Beth Hurt	...	Teresa Aranow
Victor Garber	...	Tis Brüg
Jane Adams	...	Randi Jost
Paul Jabara	...	Eddie
Robert Cicchini	...	Bill Guidone
Sam Rockwell	...	Jealous
Rene Rivera	...	Manuel
David Spade	...	Theological Cokehead
Steven Posen	...	Hasid
Ken Ladd	...	Carlos
Brian Judge	...	Thomas

Storyline

A drug dealer with upscale clientele is having moral problems going about his daily deliveries. A reformed addict, he has never gotten over the wife that left him, and the couple that use him for deliveries worry about his mental well-being and his effectiveness at his job. Meanwhile someone is killing women in apparently drug-related incidents.

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Plot Keywords:

female frontal nudity | male nudity | jail | shootout | hotel | 

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Taglines:

A story about the discovery of the spirit, the Lure of Decadence, and the Chance for Escape. [Australia theatrical]

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language and drug content, and for violence and a scene of sensuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

Willem Dafoe and Sam Rockwell were both nominated for the 2018 Best Supporting Actor Oscar for their performances as Bobby in The Florida Project (2017) and Dixon in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017), respectively. Rockwell won.

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Quotes

John: [Writing in a notebook] I feel my life turning. All it needed was a direction. You drift from day to day, years go by. Then a change comes. I am able to change. I can be a good person. What a strange thing to happen, halfway through your life. What luck.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Mad Dog and Glory/El Mariachi/Rich in Love/The Last Days of Chez Nous (1993)

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Soundtracks

24-7-365
(Agami / Belmaati / Christiansen / Moller)
© 1991 Megasong Publishing, Denmark
Performed by Wizdom-N-Motion
Courtesy of Mega Records, Denmark © 1991

User Reviews

Tough, gripping, and atmospheric.

When the subject of modern noir films is discussed, there are always a small group of films that is mentioned. "The Last Seduction", "Blood Simple", "L.A. Confidential", etc. All worthy selections in their own right. Even better, I think, is "Light Sleeper", which is a noir film right down to the core of its being. Taking place almost entirely in afterhours Manhattan, it's the story of John LeTour (Willem Dafoe), a drug courier who works for Ann (Susan Sarandon), delivering cocaine to upscale clients. LeTour wanders around the city, chauffered about in a black sedan by a silent driver named Carlos. It's a lonely existence, one that has "noir" written all over it. But this isn't a shallow or violent or ironically self-aware redux of noir films. Much like another recent Schrader-scripted film, this plunges right into the heart of the story, not standing back at all, undetached. Unlike other recent noir films, such as "The Usual Suspects", this film's soul lies not in convoluted twists and turns, but in redemption. LeTour spends the film searching for a meaning to his life, looking in the wrong place, and eventually finding meaning and hope in a somewhat unlikely place. But in the end, he realizes that it's all he has left to hang onto. A beautiful film.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish Hebrew Italian German

Release Date:

13 March 1992 (UK)

Also Known As:

Light Sleeper

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$46,302, 23 August 1992

Gross USA:

$1,050,861

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,055,987

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carolco Pictures, Grain of Sand Productions, Live Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1