Sleepers

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Sleepers

R

Released Oct 18, 1996

2h 32m

Crime

Drama

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Popcornmeter

73%

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56 Reviews

85%

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50,000+ Ratings

Four teenage friends from Hell's Kitchen end up being sent to reform school after almost killing a man. There they are brutalized by the guards. John (Ron Eldard) and Tommy (Billy Crudup) grow up to be hit men who recognize their abuser years later and kill him. Their trial is prosecuted by another member of their gang, who is now the assistant DA.

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Critics Consensus

Old friendships are awakened by the need for revenge, making Sleepers a haunting nightmare burdened by voiceover yet terrifically captured by Barry Levinson.

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Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: C

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

David Ansen

Newsweek

The problems start with Levinson's script, which overemploys Patric's florid narration to tell you what you're about to see, what it means and how you should feel about it.

Jul 6, 2010

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Richard Schickel

TIME Magazine

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.

Aug 14, 2009

Full Review

Brian D. Johnson

Maclean's Magazine

Levinson knows how to make a movie. He keeps it compelling throughout, and although it runs 2 1/2 hours, Sleepers offers no room for catnaps.

Oct 16, 2019

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

It plays out as a stylish and lurid amoral vigilante thriller, one that never earns the viewer's confidence that this is the real thing.

Rated: B-

Apr 27, 2015

Full Review

Felix Vasquez Jr.

Cinema Crazed

Views the gray tones of good and evil and what lengths people are willing to go through to re-claim the dignity they lost as children.

Nov 13, 2013

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Matteo G

Tra i film più belli di sempre.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/05/24

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Rakelle S

While I couldn't look away from Sleepers, the film heavily leaned on the disturbing portrayal of children being tortured and abused, resulting in a deeply uncomfortable viewing experience that will likely linger. The memory is etched in my mind, a constant presence that refuses to fade. The second half felt hurried, and the courtroom sequences came across as highly unrealistic, especially to those familiar with legal procedures.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/25/24

Full Review

isa e

Brilliant, absolutely stunning, the acting top notch, pacing and dialog perfect. The characters we easy to invest in and believable, the abuse in it is very hard to watch but it is needed to put the events leading to the trial into context. An absolute must see.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/21/24

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Stacey L

An uncomfortable subject but one that is portrayed well by the cast. The performances alone make this one that is in my collection for re watching every few years.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/22/24

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Mr P

Never has a film lost so much momentum as soon as the adults take over.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

11/18/23

Full Review

Timothy D

Whether or not such immoral, atrocious acts as child abuse should be implied in film a touchy subject. Sleepers relays the pain and bitterness of such victims. While there is a certain satisfaction to how the film ends, there is also the looming question of "did that really happen?" that troubles this entire project.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/27/23

Full Review

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Barry Levinson

Director

Kevin Bacon

Sean Nokes

Robert De Niro

Father Bobby

Dustin Hoffman

Danny Snyder

Jason Patric

Lorenzo, a.k.a. Shakes

Brad Pitt

Michael Sullivan

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Synopsis

Four teenage friends from Hell's Kitchen end up being sent to reform school after almost killing a man. There they are brutalized by the guards. John (Ron Eldard) and Tommy (Billy Crudup) grow up to be hit men who recognize their abuser years later and kill him. Their trial is prosecuted by another member of their gang, who is now the assistant DA.

Director: Barry Levinson
Producer: Steve Golin, Barry Levinson
Screenwriter: Lorenzo Carcaterra, Barry Levinson
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Propaganda Films, Baltimore Pictures, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Rating: R (Language|Graphic Violence|Strong Sexual Content)
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 18, 1996, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $53.3M
Runtime: 2h 32m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, Dolby A, DTS, Surround, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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