Sleepers

Sleepers Directed by Barry Levinson (1996)
Four friends, raised in the tough neighborhood of Hell’s Kitchen, are sentenced to 18 months in a reform school for almost causing the death of an elderly man after a reckless prank.

For them, it will be a hellish experience, and they will come out of it devastated.

Ten years later, they will have the chance to get their revenge.

Quote.

“Have you re-read ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ recently?” “I don’t know, maybe ten years ago…” “You see, I read a little piece of it every night, and I come across words like… vengeance… the sweet taste of vengeance. It’s the reckoning. Now it’s our turn.” “What are you saying, Mike?” “I’m saying that now it’s our turn. It’s time to end this story.” (Michael Sullivan & Lorenzo Carcaterra)

“The Sleepers”.

In local slang, this term refers to former inmates of the reform school, or simply, boys with a likely future as criminals.
If you’re born in a neighborhood like Hell’s Kitchen, your chances seem limited from the start, and often the path in front of you can lead straight to ruin.

But the real problem is that, outside the neighborhood, things can get even worse.

You understand this clearly during the nights spent inside the reform school, when the silence is suddenly broken by distant, desperate cries that sound much like a slow and devastating agony.

In that very place, which by definition should be one of correction, your soul instead feels crushed, violated, and killed, and you risk being left with nothing.

Considerations.

Levinson directs Sleepers with a dark and intense tone, blending typical elements of the crime genre (the criminal neighborhood, the old boss who initiates youth into crime, and the priest who tries to save their souls) with highly dramatic elements.
What emerges is a story that isn’t easily forgotten: a tale of growth/destruction and friendship, where we are led to empathize with the protagonists.

In this regard, it’s no surprise that one of the main characters narrates the story through voiceover, a narrative device that enhances the film.

A remarkable cast of actors completes the picture.

From De Niro as the priest who escaped a criminal past, to Dustin Hoffman as a drunken, confused lawyer, to the extraordinary Kevin Bacon, who perfectly embodies the role of a sadistic, perverted prison guard.

There’s also Vittorio Gassman playing the old local boss for whom the boys from the neighborhood run their first errands.

Sleepers is a gripping film that doesn’t quite reach the heights of Scorsese or Coppola (just to name two universally known directors) but is still well worth watching and remembering.

 

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