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Movies / On DVD / Sleepers
Sleepers

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Sleepers (1996)

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Reviews Counted:46

Fresh:34

Rotten:12

Average Rating:6.7/10

Runtime: 2 hrs 28 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Tommy, John, Michael, and Shakes are four young teenage punks growing up in the streets of Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen in the mid-1960s. When these four friends pull a prank that that goes awry,... Tommy, John, Michael, and Shakes are four young teenage punks growing up in the streets of Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen in the mid-1960s. When these four friends pull a prank that that goes awry, they find themselves serving time at the Wilkinson School for Boys, where they are repeatedly and sadistically violated and tortured by four guards--the most menacing being Noles, portrayed by Kevin Bacon. Fifteen years later, the foursome is still dealing with the emotional repercussions of their abuse. Tommy (Billy Crudup) and John (Ron Eldard) have become common criminals, and when they spot Noles in a local watering hole they can't pass up the chance for revenge. It's up to Shakes (Jason Patric), a low-profile newspaper employee, and Michael (Brad Pitt), a lawyer with the district attorney's office, to save their friends while keeping the details of their tortured childhoods secret. Dustin Hoffman appears as Danny Snyder, and Robert De Niro stars as Father Bobby, the local neighborhood priest who is as comfortable on the streets or in a bar as he is behind the pulpit. Based on the allegedly true story by Lorenzo Carcaterra, the film is directed by Barry Levinson (DINER, RAIN MAN). [More]

Starring: Kevin Bacon, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Jason Patric

Starring: Kevin Bacon, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Jason Patric, Brad Pitt, Bruno Kirby, Brad Renfro, Minnie Driver, Joe Perrino, Geoff Wigdor, Jonathan Tucker, Billy Crudup, Ron Eldard, Jeffrey Donovan

Director: Barry Levinson

Director: Barry Levinson
Screenwriter: Barry Levinson
Story: Lorenzo Carcaterra
Composer: John Williams
Producer: Steve Golin, Barry Levinson

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Sleepers

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Disturbing, but compelling and provocative.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
08/14/09
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Levinson has done nothing to sift the half-truths from the melodrama...

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Boasting a glorious multi-generational cast (De Niro, Hoffman, Brad Pitt, Jason Patric), Levinson's tale of sexual abuse and revenge is just decent, lacking dramatic energy and relying too much on voice-over narration and conventional courtroom procedures

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
08/23/09
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

It is all legally preposterous. But Levinson is a slick craftsman, his actors are insinuatingly real, and cinematographer Michael Ballhaus casts a disarmingly believable light on these proceedings.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
08/14/09
Richard Schickel
Richard Schickel
TIME Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

One thing you will not being doing after seeing this dark, yet beautifully written film, is sleeping.

comment Comment
08/02/08
Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy
BDK Reviews

If audiences aren't bothered by this disturbing subtext, there's a lot to enjoy in this impeccably structured, handsomely produced saga.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
06/24/08
David Stratton
David Stratton
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
01/25/06
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

Disturbing and powerful

comment Comment
01/20/06
Jon Niccum
Jon Niccum
Lawrence Journal-World

No review available.

comment Comment
04/21/05
Thomas Delapa
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly

Brad Pitt and Jason Patric are, sorry to say, far overshadowed by their more mature colleagues. Neither has any real presence, in my mind, especially Pitt, whose star power is far greater than his acting ability.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
04/09/05
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

No review available.

comment Comment
02/11/05
Daniel M. Kimmel
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette

No review available.

comment Comment
02/07/05
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

No review available.

comment Comment
01/13/05
Jake Euker
Jake Euker
F5 (Wichita, KS)

No review available.

comment Comment
01/06/05
Greg Maki
Greg Maki
Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)

It's sort of like 'Mystic River' done correctly.

comment 1 Comment
10/21/04
Widgett Walls
Widgett Walls
Needcoffee.com

No review available.

comment Comment
08/04/04
Linda Cook
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

No review available.

comment Comment
07/13/04
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

No review available.

comment Comment
07/01/04
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat

One doesn't need to agree with the premise to appreciate Levinson's movie, which is rich in atmosphere and colorful in character.

Full Review Source: Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) | comment Comment
06/23/04
Judith Egerton
Judith Egerton
Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

It has really impressive and diverse cast and the story itself -- fictional or not -- can attract the viewer's attention. But Levinson wastes all that opportunity with some unfortunate directing choices.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
09/25/03
Dragan Antulov
Dragan Antulov
rec.arts.movies.reviews
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
all

Latest News for Sleepers

August 16, 2006: Character Actor Bruno Kirby, Dead at 57
You'd immediately recognize the face (and the voice) from movies like "City Slickers," "Good Morning Vietnam," and "When Harry Met Sally," but you... More...

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