Sleepers
1 Oscar Nominations
Rent/Purchase
Two gangsters seek revenge on the state jail worker who during their stay at a youth prison sexually abused them. A sensational court hearing takes place to charge him for the crimes.
What critics thought
DivisiveSleepers draws genuine praise for its ensemble performances and period atmosphere, but critics were sharply divided over whether Levinson's script holds together — many felt the film loses its grip in the second half, where the courtroom mechanics crowd out the emotional weight of the opening act. Audiences responded far more warmly than critics did, suggesting the film's pull is felt more than analyzed.
“Sleepers wants to do something impossible — merge the mournful, drenched-in-shame emotions of child abuse with the huckster gamesmanship of a contraption like The Sting.”
Owen Gleiberman·Entertainment Weekly
“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.”
Steve Davis·The Austin Chronicle
Genres
Crime, Drama, Thriller
Cast & Crew
DirectorBarry Levinson
StarringKevin Bacon, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Bruno Kirby, Jason Patric
ComposerJohn Williams
Sleepers
1 Oscar Nominations
Two gangsters seek revenge on the state jail worker who during their stay at a youth prison sexually abused them. A sensational court hearing takes place to charge him for the crimes.
What critics thought
DivisiveSleepers draws genuine praise for its ensemble performances and period atmosphere, but critics were sharply divided over whether Levinson's script holds together — many felt the film loses its grip in the second half, where the courtroom mechanics crowd out the emotional weight of the opening act. Audiences responded far more warmly than critics did, suggesting the film's pull is felt more than analyzed.
“Sleepers wants to do something impossible — merge the mournful, drenched-in-shame emotions of child abuse with the huckster gamesmanship of a contraption like The Sting.”
Owen Gleiberman·Entertainment Weekly
“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.”
Steve Davis·The Austin Chronicle
Genres
Crime, Drama, Thriller
Cast & Crew
DirectorBarry Levinson
StarringKevin Bacon, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Bruno Kirby, Jason Patric
ComposerJohn Williams
Rent/Purchase