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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 fresh rating; 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

Engrosses if it doesn't fully convince.

comment Comment
01/01/00
USA Today
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The implausibility of this story is high, but it still retains the vibrance and interest of all good prison and courtroom dramas.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
01/01/00
Barbara Shulgasser
Barbara Shulgasser
San Francisco Examiner

No review available.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Bill Chambers
Bill Chambers
Film Freak Central

Finally redeems [Levinson] for the idiocy of Disclosure and Toys.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

No review available.

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

The plot is complicated and the climax is subtle. But for much of the movie, Levinson ... is still in that Natural mode, wherehe doesn't trust his audience to get it.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia City Paper | comment Comment
01/01/00
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
Philadelphia City Paper

No review available.

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

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

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

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

No review available.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Jack Garner
Jack Garner
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Despite protests from the Catholic Church (which whines about any movie that portrays priests as anything less-than-pure), Sleepers, which represents two and one-half hours of gripping entertainment, is well worth the price of admission.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

Although Sleepers is billed as a thriller, this is not what the film is about. In the end, the film is about human relationships, and what draws us together as friends.

Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk | comment Comment
02/27/01
James Kendrick
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk

A skillfully packaged product that is bound to satisfy.

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
05/14/03
Jeanne Aufmuth
Jeanne Aufmuth
Palo Alto Weekly

Disturbing and powerful

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

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)

In craft terms alone, Sleepers is considerably better than average filmmaking, but it's difficult to take this film as seriously as it takes itself.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
02/14/01
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
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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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