Tacticalin An absolute waste of money

AutCuddly Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

Hulkeasexo it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.

Roy Hart If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

classicsoncall This is a revenge film of a different kind. Characters who have been wronged in childhood band together as adults to mete out punishment to their tormentors under the pretense of the legal system. The story flows fairly logically and consistently right up though the courtroom's closing arguments when a pair of thugs are found not guilty of murder when in fact they did kill a man. The story weaves it's way through childhood escapades in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen, a boys reformatory where horrible physical abuse takes place, the back room manipulations of a Mafia kingpin, and a courtroom drama in which nothing appears to be what it seems.For the longest time the title of this picture held a different connotation for this viewer. For some reason I though it was a sci-fi film dealing with dream experimentation gone bad. I don't know where that idea came from, perhaps another movie that I can't properly place. The 'sleepers' here refers to anyone who spent any time at all in a juvenile facility like the four young friends we meet here. As a result of a terrible accident resulting from a prank gone way out of control, the boys wind up at the Wilkinson School for Boys and the beginning of a personal nightmare for each of them. More than anything, the story line points to the randomness that can occur in someone's life that will eventually forge a person's future for good or bad, in this case, definitely bad. And I'm not even referring to the murder trial, but to the aftermath as depicted by the closing scenes detailing the fate of all concerned.Robert De Niro portrays perhaps the most conflicted character in the story, that of neighborhood priest, Father Bobby Carillo. In a way, he reminded me of Pat O'Brien's Father Jerry in the 1938 film, "Angels With Dirty Faces". Father Bobby is there for his troubled boys, but is asked to put his priestly obligations on the line in order to clear two of his former charges from a murder rap. The complex issue is handled skillfully by the screenwriter, though many will question the credibility of a priest not only lying, but lying under oath after swearing on the Bible. The one nit-pick I have with the story relates to Father Bobby's testimony when he produced the three Garden basketball tickets. That clearly came so far out of left field that it put a knock on the credibility of the defense argument. How would it have been possible to backtrack the availability of those tickets so long after the events at the restaurant occurred? Had the picture found a different way to corroborate the phony witness story, I might have rated the movie a perfect ten.

Fallen Eye Though Sleepers is actually, quite gripping and enjoyable, the film does struggle with some demons that put its credibility is some sort of disrepute.There is the Vicious Cycle conundrum of course, that is quite possibly the reason for the whole entire mess the boys went through. The neighborhood is rough and tough, so, it breeds more of the same conditions as its community attempts to survive. The boys steal because it is the nature of their reality. So, are the boys at fault?Then there is; The Sins of Your Father. Shakes's father did say; "Nobody in this family should do time, I did enough time for everyone". Then also, nature vs nurture and of course, do two wrongs make a right? On top of all of that, Father Bobby's dilemma, it and it against Shakes mentioning that; all that abuse and torture they experienced, they prayed to the same God Father Bobby did, but no help came... Was Father Bobby that help, finally, in that manner?Sleepers does bring up a lot of difficulties we experience as a people,and that is a good thing, but, did it tackle them well? I mean, what is the Hot Dog Vendors story? He has one, and it isn't told, it can't be told, but it is there, and it could be anything.Anyway, Joe Perrino stole the show. After a performance like that, it's too bad that his career seemingly faded into obscurity... But I'll say it again, Joe Perrino was truly amazing. Brad Pitt and Kevin Bacon too, as well as De Niro and Jason Patric were well above par and Minnie Driver was stunning. Sleepers spent too much time setting up, when it could've spent more of that time tying all the parts tighter together, which would've improved the quality and enjoyment even more, but still, the final product was well worth a watch. 7.1/10.

allyatherton Sometimes revenge is the only answerStarring Robert De Nero, Kevin Bacon, Brad Pitt and Dustin HoffmanBased on a book by Lorenzo CarcaterraDirected by and Screenplay by Barry LevinsonThis is another example of something that could have been so much better.I was sat watching this thinking to myself, ' I bet the book is better than this.'There are so many big names in this film and it even has a soundtrack by John Williams, it should have worked but it didn't. There is something that just doesn't work. It felt like the whole movie was crammed together and didn't have room to breathe. We don't get time to get our heads around the story or the individual characters, I spent most of the movie trying to work out which character was which. And just when I was starting to get a grip, we are shoved thirteen years into the future and have to try and work it all out again.Considering the star studded line up, for me it was Dustin Hoffman that came out on top even though he only played a small role. He played to alcohol lawyer with perfection, it's a pity we didn't see any stand out performances by any of the others. I don't know what went wrong. Maybe this movie would have been better served with a different production team or a different director.As for the story itself, it's allegedly based on a true story but that is another story.Watchable but frustratingly disappointing.7/10

NateWatchesCoolMovies Barry Levinson's Sleepers is a deliberately paced, downbeat look at revenge, and is one of the most brilliant yet seemingly overlooked dramas of the 90's. Part of it could have been marketing; The cover suggests blistering violence, confrontation and courtroom intrigue. While there are such moments within the narrative, they live to serve the story, which Levinson and his dream cast are doggedly intent on telling. It's a sombre affair to be sure, slow and methodical as well, but never to be confused with boring. It's just such a great story, one that unfolds exactly as it needs to. It starts in the 1950's, where four young rapscallions run wild on the streets of Manhatten. It kicks the story off with a sort of urban Stand By Me vibe, and if you thought that film went to some heavy placed, stick around through Sleepers. When an innocent prank ends in tragedy, the four are sent to an austere children's correctional facility, where they run afoul of some sadistic and abusive guards, led by Kevin Bacon, who is scummier than scum itself. They endure months of ritual abuse at the hands of these sickos, until their eventual release. Life goes on, as it must, the four boys grow up and follow very different paths from one another. Michael (Brad Pitt) becomes an esteemed lawyer. Shakes (Jason Patric) lives a quiet life, while Tommy (Billy Crudup, wonderfully cast against type) and John (Ron Eldard) take a darker road to drugs and crime. Eventually their past rears it's head, and they are presented with an opportunity for much delayed revenge. It doesn't all play out the way you may think though, and half the fun of this one is being surprised by geniunly lifelike plot turns and characters who behave as real humans would. Pitt is the highlight in a performance of quiet torment. Dustin Hoffman is fun as a washed up lawyer who gets involved, Minnie Driver shows up as a tough NYC gal who gets involved with Patric, Robert De Niro has a nice bit as a kindly priest who counsels the boys even until adulthood, and there's further supporting work from Jonathan Tucker, Bruno Kirby, Frank Medrano, Brad Renfro, Terry Kinney and more. Levinson usually takes on bright, chipper comedies and razor sharp political satire. With Sleepers he deviates into tragic dramatic material, and shows his versatility excellently. This one gets grim, no doubt about it. However, it's a story not only worth the telling, but worth the watching for us.