Sleepers

"Sleepers" is the name given to young people who commit infractions and are sent to reformatories, as if during the time they were there it was a period of hibernation. But instead of dreaming, sometimes what happens is that they do not go through an apprenticeship that enables them to be reinserted in society. Generally, these delinquent children live, with their eyes wide open, a real nightmare. That's what "Sleepers" is all about.

The film, written and directed by Barry Levinson, best known for "Rain Man", features what might be called a constellation of actors, from Kevin Bacon (Footloose), Robert De Niro (Taxi Driver) and Dustin Hoffman (Rain Man) to Brad Pitt (Seven). But despite all these stars, Jason Patric, from "The Lost Boys", stars in the story set in the "Hell's Kitchen" neighborhood of New York. It's very difficult to know what Barry Levinson wants from the movies. He can sign Oscar-winning films without ever going down in history ("Rain Man"). Or that can go down in history for inconsequential ("Bugsy") or catastrophe ("Toys"). The feeling of incompleteness that most of his works provide is directly proportional to the double commitment he seems to have assumed: to develop a line of intellectual films (in Hollywood's sense of the word), without scaring the public away (the so-called "great audience") of the cinema. "Sleepers-Sleeping Vengeance" is perhaps his most successful film, as he manages his commitments in a harmonious way.

The year is 1967, everyone in the neighborhood knows each other and lives with crimes in the streets and homes naturally, what happens outside the neighborhood seems to belong to another reality. In this scenario, a group of four friends steal a hot dog cart and the crime takes on much greater proportions than they imagined, leading them to Wilkinson boarding school, where they suffer all kinds of abuse and see their lives transformed.

The film is divided into three acts, narrated in excess by Jason Patric's character, Lorenzo Carcaterra, the author of the pseudo-autobiographical book on which "Sleepers" is based and a descendant of immigrants like everyone else in the group. In the beginning, it shows the childhood until the incident with good scenes. It's the most inventive part of the film in terms of filming and language, there are crane movements, long shots and tracking shots that give the story a good rhythm. Here, Levinson achieves much more than composing a correct setting. He describes the way of life, the poverty, the contradictions, the pleasures, the faith in this immigrant neighborhood. He creates an intimacy between the viewer and the places and characters he describes. Even the episode that triggers the plot (the theft, at first inconsequential, of a hot dog) is narrated in a light, humorous way, and produces a very efficient shock with its dramatic consequences.

This first half of the film, which narrates the childhood of the four friends, is, without a doubt, the best. Levinson proves to be a great storyteller in bringing such distinctive characters to life. We have Father Bobby, masterfully played by Robert De Niro; mob boss King Benny (Vittorio Gassman; the sadistic Nokes; and, of course, Bruno Kirby as the hero Shakes' father. In fact, Kirby steals the show as a fat, bald, extremely violent man with his wife, whom he repeatedly beats up times.

The second part shows the four boys who are taken to a reformatory at the Wilkinson Reformatory, where they are attacked and even raped by the terrible guard Nokes (Bacon) and his three shift companions. Here, Barry Levinson leaves the harrowing film that we hope will soon end all that torture those boys are subjected to. Frightened and watched by guards during Father Bobby's visits, they buried this secret along with their childhood. As in the movie The Count of Monte Cristo, naivety gives way to rancor and a thirst for revenge (Shakes even gets a copy of this book from Professor Carlson). It is a tense moment in the film, in which happy moments alternate with others a little constrained by the need to maintain good tone in the face of a subject that is not very favorable to this (sexuality).

But overall, Levinson says what he has to say. Here, we also have their exit from the place after their time in seclusion and what each became years later with the idea of revenge hovering over their heads. The director manages to convey with lyricism the feeling of the character Lorenzo Carcaterra at the moment of maximum prison: solitary confinement. The protagonist sees in his hand illuminated by a beam of light the projection of unfulfilled dreams. It is small moments and artistic freedoms like this that give a lyrical look that is often important and left out.

The story then jumps 15 years and now adults, fate offers an opportunity to do justice. From there, "Sleepers" changes focus and turns into a conventional judgment film in this third part. It was to be expected that the stellar cast, which mixes actors from different generations, would result in something not very functional. However, Levinson manages to "tame" possible ego flares very well.

Between crimes, court, conspiracies, "Sleepers" becomes uneven, alternating better and worse moments. What was initially proposed as a film of ideas (about poverty, the Catholic faith, adolescence, the tension between sin and innocence, salvation and loss) is diluted and becomes a film of stars. We turn to pay attention to the priest (Robert De Niro - There is one scene, in particular, worthy of note: when Shakes is telling the priest about the horrors he lived in the reformatory, the camera remains fixed on De Niro's face, who, without saying a single word, expresses all his grief and horror at what he is told), at the lawyer (Dustin Hoffman, great, as it hasn't been seen in a long time), at the prison guard (Kevin Bacon), at the sympathetic gangster (Vittorio Gassman) , in the ex-teens (Brad Pitt ahead).

The film's success has since revolved much more around its performances than anything else. The precision of the beginning tends to settle down, regressing to standard Hollywood humanism, fed by a plot capable of lulling the viewer for about 150 minutes and often leaving him curious about the evolution of events. The final scene is touching and celebrates the friendship between the boys, now adults full of trauma, but who enjoy a rare and final moment of happiness in a group, interspersed with the narration of the fate of each of the characters.

However, Levinson's long-winded script has its flaws. In addition to the film's pace dropping abruptly when it becomes a courtroom drama, as already said, we see perfectly expendable scenes that seem to have been included only so that the director could use them, once again, as a resource to get an Oscar. Not to mention that the film's tension point centers on a certain decision De Niro's character has to make. The problem is that, from the beginning, there is no doubt about what he will decide. Those who didn't find out weren't paying attention to the movie. Another flaw is the abrupt transition that occurs between the two parts of the story, which leads the viewer to wonder who those 'new' characters are. There is also a sub-theme that is practically just "cited" by the script, without being developed: the romance between the social worker played by Minnie Driver and the characters of Jason Patric, Brad Pitt and Ron Eldard.

At the time of its release, "Sleepers" established itself as a huge box office success. With a production budget of just $44 million, the film earned a final box office gross of $165 million. The film was even deservedly nominated for an Oscar for Best Score, produced by iconic composer John Williams. "Sleepers" does not disappoint especially in the performances and script. There is its great beginning, an uneven middle and the courageous conclusion to the constructed plot, showing. Shocking at times, with unexpected and strong scenes, "Sleepers" is courageous showing a plot about the effects of the abuses and how the trauma affects the lives who suffered it forever. It is one of those cinematic experiences that are worth it, even if they are not as remarkable as Clint Eastwood's "Mystic River (2004)", shot years later and similar to this film.

If you're able to to turn a blind eye to the implausibility of the end, or instead see it as an interpretation of the lengths people will to go to for justice when the system has let them down then, coupled with the very realistic and believable earlier parts of the story, you have a very sad but not uncommon tale centred on abuse, with outstanding performances all round and a genuine reason to take a blood pressure pill to calm yourself down.

This is one of the only films that I can watch time after time and still be highly entertained. The film has many layers and a great cast of fantastic actors. It also has a wealth of superbly drawn minor characters. Bruno Krby is excellent as always as Shakes' dad. A man apparently typical of the community in Hells Kitchen. Proud but ruling his wife in particular with a iron fist. He is portrayed far more favourably than in the book where it is clear he is a lousy father and husband. But it is the ever excellent Kevin Bacon who threatens to steal the show as the deeply disturbing Sean Nokes. He is pivotal to the 4 boys descent in to hell and his evil in the bar scene where he meets his demise sets the wheels in motion for the revenge in the 3rd part of the movie. De Niro is superb as always but has great support in Brad Pitt, Jason Patric, Minnie Driver and Dustin Hoffman. A Must see if you like films of this genre.

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.

The first half of the film is really strong and the scene that serves as the transition to the second half (the bar scene) is fantastic. I felt that the the latter half as a whole was a bit of a bubble though: there is a lot of The Count of Monte Cristo (the book that is referenced in the film a lot, check it out if you haven't) -esque revenge build-up but the payoff is a disappointment. For me, there were also slight pacing issues towards the end, along with some tonal choices I wasn't a fan of. Still, I'd say it's a fairly recommendable drama.

Rating: 6/10