Monday 20 February 2012

Sleepers

Sleepers

Sleepers is a 1996 legal drama film that stars Kevin Bacon, Brad Pitt, Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman. The film was written, produced and directed by Barry Levinson. The film is based on the novel Sleepers by Lorenzo Carcaterra. 

The Plot

The film tells the story of four boys being sent to a detention camp after a prank goes wrong. While in the detention camp they are abused and violated. Years after their release there comes a chance for the boys to gain revenge.

The story is fantastic, it has to be said. It may be argued that the plot is fairly far fetched in a sense, but this does not make it any less enjoyable as a story.

The Performances

The performances are all fantastic in my opinion. Robert De Niro is as flawless as ever, but all the child actors are great as well. Brad Pitt and Kevin Bacon show great range and the support is equally as impressive. However, the best performance in this film comes from Dustin Hoffman, who plays Danny Snyder. Snyder is an alcholic lawyer set to defend two of the boys in court. The performance is flawless from Hoffman, truely great.

The Drama

The film is very touching and heart wrenching at times, and quite heavy and sickening at others. The film deals with issues such as child abuse, rape and revenge, but it also questions a Priest's decision of what is right and wrong. There are a lot of major issues dealt with here, all of which are handled with care.The film carries a lot of suspense throughout.


Overall


The film is packed with drama, but also has a lot of heart in it. The plot is great and is backed up by some truly great performances. This film seems to have slipped under the radar slightly and this is a real shame. I highly recommend this film to everyone, but particularly fans of legal dramas.

Rating: 9/10

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