Sleepers (1996)

***Justifiable execution and justifiable lying***

“Sleepers” (1991) starts out as a coming-of-age film about four boys in 1966-1967 from Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan, and then morphs into a juvenile prison picture, which covers the first hour. The rest of the movie is a crime tragedy turned courtroom drama, taking place 13 years later in the early 80s. Jason Patric plays the adult version of Shakes, the main protagonist and narrator, while Brad Pitt plays his attorney friend, Michael. When their other two buds, John and Tommy, are taken into custody for murder they hatch a plan to get them off for understandable reasons. Robert De Niro plays their Catholic pastor and father-figure while Dustin Hoffman appears as the dubious defense attorney. Kevin Bacon is on hand as a perverse guard at the boys’ reformatory.

In an eye-rolling knee-jerk response, liberal critics have dissed the film as “homophobic” when this isn’t the case at all. For verification, if the victims at the reformatory were girls the baseless criticism wouldn’t even be mentioned. It is not about gender; it is about children and the monstrous abuse of authority for selfish purposes. The film NEVER criticizes what two adults CHOOSE to do behind closed doors.

In tone and theme, “Sleepers” is similar to the heralded “Mystic River” (2003), but more episodic in nature and therefore not as dramatically compelling. Yet it’s a poignant crime drama. Some have panned the movie on the grounds that it justifies revenge murder, but it more clearly supports the idea of just execution when legal authorities have failed and allowed gross corruption to continue.

Another moral issue revolves around lying. Is it ever right to lie for the sake of justice? In other words, is lying ever justifiable? Of course it is; at least on rare occasions. For instance, in the bible the midwives lied to Pharaoh in order to save Hebrew infants and are commended for fearing God (Exodus 1:15-21). Rahab also lied to save the two Hebrew spies in Jericho and her actions are hailed in Hebrews 11, the Hall of Faith chapter. During WW2, if Nazi authorities came to your door looking for hidden Jews, would you say “Yes, I cannot lie; they are hiding in the attic”? Of course you wouldn’t.

The script by director Barry Levinson was based on a book by Lorenzo Carcaterra, which is supposedly a true story. Although New York authorities have denied its authenticity, they have good reason to do so. Whether or not every jot & tittle is accurate is irrelevant; stories LIKE IT have happened.

The film runs 2 hours, 27 minutes and was shot in New York City & surrounding areas (Brooklyn, Manhattan, Yonkers, Hoboken) and Fairfield Hills Hospital, Newtown, Connecticut (Wilkinson School for Boys). ADDITIONAL CAST: Minnie Driver plays the guys’ friend from their youth while Vittorio Gassman is on hand as a nonchalant mob leader in Hell’s Kitchen.

GRADE: B

‘Sleepers’ uses a disturbing and unnecessary narration to tell its controversial revenge story, but the rich characters and great actors easily make up for that.

8/10

Been a very long time since I last watched this and seeing it again it's a well acted movie that doesn't quite hit the emotional punch despite the very dark story (compare that with something like Mystic River). Still a very good movie with an amazing cast. **4/5**

Four young pranksters from Hell's Kitchen find themselves in a reform school after one of their scams - with an hotdog vendor's cart - ends in tragedy. No sooner have they arrived than the warder "Nokes" (Kevin Bacon) makes it known that these four lads are going to be providing him and his colleagues with some extra-curricular entertainment in the basement of the prison. The remainder of their sentence proves horrific and abusive and upon release they go their separate ways. Two - "Johnny" (Ron Eldard) and "Tommy" (Billy Crudup) continue with a life of petty crime whilst "Shakes" (Jason Patric) becomes a journalist and "Michael" (Brad Pitt) becomes an assistant DA. Then one afternoon in a bar the former pair stumble upon a man having his lunch - and it's noneother than their ertswhile persecutor. In this instance, spontaneity proves the mother of invention and swiftly the two men find themselves in court indicted for murder. It would seem to be a clear-cut case but the boys might yet have a few unexpected aces up their sleeves, especially when "Michael" ends up prosecuting the case and "Shakes" sets about proving that they boys were sexually assaulted on a regular basis by tracking down the other abusers ready to be examined by their own lawyer - the rather scruffily unimpressive "Snyder" (Dustin Hoffman). Meantime, the only man who ever really saw any good in these lads - "Fr. Bobby" (Robert De Niro) might also be able to help out too - though in a way that might compromise some of his vows and spiritual integrity. Against some fairly overwhelming evidence, what scope in the justice system is there for a defence based along the lines of an eye for an eye? Though the headliners fare strongly here here, I felt it really the younger versions of themselves that stole the acting plaudits - especially Brad Renfro's younger version of "Michael" and Jonathan Tucker's "Tommy" and with Bacon on really quite menacing form as the odious guard we don't need to see what we know to have gone on to these lads. Hoffman also delivers quirkily like some sort of hybrid character crafted by Billy Wilder meets Alexandre Dumas and the whole courtroom drama elements put the principles of justice as opposed to the law under quite a spotlight. The pacing of this drama is a little bit juddery towards the conclusion as it struggles a little to avoid "Perry Mason" territory, but the later scene between De Niro and Pitt is the kind of cat and mouse stuff that you rarely see, and it tops of quite a tough but well executed film to watch.