A harrowing tale that includes a preposterous court case, an-eye-for-an-eye moral, and fine acting from a star-packed cast.
Sleepers (1996)
Tomatometer
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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
Reviews for Sleepers
It explores whole lives, capturing terror, shame, vulnerability and the burning, fleeting satisfaction of retribution. And it leaves its audience speechless.
As entertainment, the movie functions successfully. But I don't believe the story is true -- not true to the facts, and not true to the morality it pretends to be about.
What a more interesting film this would have been had Levinson found a way to integrate the past and the present so that one informed the other. As constructed, however, he's made a lopsided movie.
Spanning two decades and with a star studded cast all at the top of their form, Levinson's Sleepers is a phenomenal film experience.
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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