Sleepers (DVD)

...when the Oscars came round, Sleepers only got one nomination and that was for "Best Music, Original Dramatic Score", which brings me neatly on to the sound track. The songs which appear in the film are mainly those from the sixties such as "Walk Like a Man" and "Good Vibrations". The score to the film was created by the legendary John Williams and features orchestral pieces which at times seem very threatening but works well as it enhances the story ...
...has been shot over several locations, from the actual streets of Hell's Kitchen to the dark and evil reform school and also into the magnificent court room. Each set has been authentically decked out with period items, as the films spans from the mid 60's to the early 80's. The Cast ----------- Brad Renfro ---- Young Michael Sullivan Brad Pitt ---- Michael Sullivan Joseph Perrino ---- Young Lorenzo 'Shakes' Carcaterra Jason Patric ---- Lorenzo ...

christianfilmcritic 30.01.2006 (25.05.2006) · Read full review
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Review of Sleepers (DVD)

Hells Kitchen, New York has always been a difficult place to live let alone grow up in, with drug dealers, murderers and rapists at every corner, but that’s just the surroundings that four young boys grow up in, in 1967. The mischievous boys play a prank on a hot dog vender however what at first was a juvenile prank turned into something much more serious when the prank goes horribly wrong. The four boys end up in a juvenile prison for at least a ...
...are introduced to daily beatings and sexual assaults. Needless to say the scars run deep and 13 years on they still haven’t forgotten. When two of the boys grown up come across the sadistic guard (Kevin Bacon) who subjected them to such heinous abuse they waste no time in showing up and teaching him a lesson. The two men are taken to court therefore it would seem that it’s the end of their revenge however it’s not long before the two other men who ...

Great_reviewer07 10.12.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Sleepers (DVD)

Sleepers (DVD) ~~~The Cast~~~ The main characters: Group of four boys - John Riley (Geoffory Wigdor), Thomas (Jonathan Tucker), Michael Sullivan (Brad Renfro) and Shakes (Joe Perrino) and their adult counterparts Ron Eldard, Billy Crudup, Brad Pitt and Jason Patric. The boys' uncompromising friends Carol Martinez (Mini Driver) and Father Bobby (Robert De Niro). The leader of the prison guards Nokes (Kevin Bacon), lawyer Danny Snyder (Dustin Hoffman) ...
...~~~My Opinion~~~ Sleepers is director Barry Levinson's take on a Lorenzo Carcaterra novel, which itself is allegedly based on a real story. Knowing this I find the plot somewhat too convenient to be believable. However maybe after two levels of "based on" the storyline now rather resembles a Chinese whisper, embellished by each teller to the next listener. Before the credits the audience is informed that The New York state division deny the juvenile ...

e.j.kingham 15.06.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Sleepers (DVD)

Most of the time Hollywood manages to take a really good piece of fiction and convert it into a disappointing film. Thankfully this is not the case with Sleepers. The original best-selling book by Lorenzo Carcaterra was successfully transported to the big screen by Barry Levinson along with co-producer Steve Golin and under the direction of Michael Ballhaus. This is a rare film that actually manages to stay true to the sentiments of the book and ...
...success is also supported by the mega star cast which includes Brad Pitt, Robert De Niro, Kevin Bacon, Minnie Driver, Jason Patric and a quite excellent performance from Dustin Hoffman. The Storyline The film opens in the summer of 1966 and focuses on four young boys growing up in the Hells Kitchen of New York. Narrated by the adult voice of one of the boys, Shakes, a picture is painted of a poor working class area of Manhattan made up of immigrant ...

atticusuk 16.07.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Sleepers (DVD)

...special features. 1996, Sleepers Writer/Director/Producer: Barry Levinson is a great director; he has been responsible for films such as 'Rain Man' for which he received the 1988 Best Director Oscar, in 1987 he directed 'Good Morning Vietnams' starring Robin Williams. The Story Set in the 1960's this film follows the life of four young boys who are great friends, they love to hang out with each other and work at the church as choirboys, and they ...
...prank on a hot dog vender and the consequences are disastrous. As a result of their actions on that summer's afternoon the four boys are sent for 18 months to The Wilkinson's Centre, New York. The Wilkinson's Centre is a detention centre for boys; the next year is living hell for the boys as they experience all kinds of abuse from the guards at the centre, verbal, physical and sexual, the boys swear never to mention it again once they leave. 10 ...

LIZKEMPO 03.05.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Sleepers (DVD)

Growing up in Hell's Kitchen in the mid sixties is great fun for Tommy, John, Michael and Shakes. They play hard, but they are generally good kids, much liked in the neighbourhood. But a prank one day changes their lives for ever - they steal a hot dog vendor's stand and let it go at the top of some stairs, seriously injuring someone who got in its way. Sent to a detention camp for a few months, they are bullied and brutalized at the hands of the ...
...and John most of all, who end up in and out of prison. Then one day, Tommy and John come across one of the wardens and shoot him dead. Mike and Shakes, both lawyers, try to help them out, bringing to justice the other wardens responsible for their fate. What will happen to the four friends? And will their friendship remain intact? This is an interesting film, which can easily be divided up into three parts. The first part is the most pleasant, for ...

sunmeilan 20.07.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Sleepers (DVD)

...I LOVE this film. Sleepers is a dark movie based on the book of the same name. Written by Lorenzo Carcaterra, it is the story of his life growing up in Hell's Kitchen, a violent and disturbing neighbourhood in New York. The story centres around Carcaterra and his three best friends, Michael, John and Tommy and the event that changed their lives forever. In the summer of 1967 the four boys were involved in a tragic accident after a prank they pulled ...
...a year and eighteen months in Wilkinson's Home For Boys, basically a correctional facility for young offenders. All the sets in the film are picked to perfection, from the hot sweaty streets of Hell's Kitchen to the imposing structure that is Wilkinson's, the location's all add to the brooding atmosphere of the film. Here the boys are systematically beaten and abused, particularly by one sadistic guard by the name of Nokes. The boys go in as basically ...

dchurch 14.01.2002 · Read full review
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Review of Sleepers (DVD)

Sleepers is a chilling story, and one that is made all the more powerful simply because everything in it is based on real events. It is the story of four young friends who live in the Hell’s Kitchen area of Manhattan, a tough area full of tough men, run by a respected gangster known as King Benny, and populated by a mix of immigrant families from all over Europe. The boys – Shakes, Tommy, John and Mikey – spend their summer days ...
...the roof of their apartment block, while Shakes tries to avoid his father’s violent outbursts and seems to spend much of time comforting his beaten mother. Much of his free time was spent in the company of the genial Father Bobby (played superbly by Robert De Niro) at the local church – Shakes and John often worked there as altar boys, and even entertained thoughts of entering the priesthood, but soon enough such thoughts were driven ...

JVL 09.11.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Sleepers (DVD)

...the edge of our seats. Sleepers doesn't have that as it seems that everything is perfectly choreographed and nothing goes wrong. The setting instantly conjures up a Goodfella's kind of old pals atmosphere where everybody knows everybody on the street, the crims are loveable characters (but nasty none the less) and violence is a part of everyday life. The narration tries to involve us and feels far more like a leading light than in other films - ...
...in and emotionally involve us, Sleepers somehow keep the audience at arms length. While never making us feel like voyeurs, it doesn't make us genuinely feel for the characters. Yes we're all appalled at the events and ultimately we feel sorry for them, but we don't feel for them and this is one of the major disappointments here. Having the air of Hollywood robs us of an emotional rollercoaster - We know it'll all turn out right in the end and 'justice' ...

TheNeil 12.07.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Sleepers (DVD)

Sleepers is an excellent film based on the even better novel by Lorenzo Carcaterra. In the novel, Carcaterra claims that the story is based on the true story of what he himself experienced as a child with his three friends. The film repeats this claim which was considered by many to be misleading. The story starts by showing us the lives of several of the inhabitants of an area of New York known as Hells Kitchen. We meet four young teenage boys ...
...seen in another film before Sleepers but the adult cast consists of actors such as Brad Pitt, Kevin Bacon and Jason Patric. There is also a wonderful performance by Robert De Niro Sleepers grabs your attention and pull you into the intense story of friendship and the price of loyalty under extreme conditions. The New York settings are extremely realistic and the acting is second to none. The only suggestion I would have for this film was that they ...

LBuSBu1 14.04.2003 (20.04.2003) · Read full review
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Review of Sleepers (DVD)

This movie had me glued to the settee and the screen, it is a powerful, realistic and compelling drama. To start with we have an excellent cast of well seasoned actors including Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Brad Pitt, Kevin Bacon, Jason Patric and Minnie Driver, although as the story is set around a life changing incident as teenagers, we don't see some of the above until we switch to adult mode later in the film. The film is set in a sultry ...
...rough, poor area of New York. The early part of the story concentrates on the life of four boys, their friendship and their relationship with Father Bobby (De Niro). Father Bobby is an irish/italian catholic priest who cares deeply about the kids in his neighbourhood and tries hard to protect the boys and keep them on the straight and narrow. The boys frequently dare each other to do scams on the local community, and their favourite target is a ...

nursey311 27.09.2003 · Read full review
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Review of Sleepers (DVD)

‘Four friends have made a mistake that will change their lives forever’ The reason for me watching this film, was that my friend had taped it on sky plus a few weeks ago, and whilst we all sat in with a hangover, we gave it a watch. The film was made in 1996 so it’s now over ten years old, and it is based on a novel which the author argues is true, though no proof has ever been found. Before I go into the review, I will give the casting list… ...
...Crudup – Tommy Marcano * Robert De Niro – Father Bobby * Ron Eldard – John Reilly * Minnie Driver – Carol Martinez * Vittorio Gassman – King Benny * Dustin Hoffman – Danny Snyder * Terry Kinney – Ralph Ferguson * Jason Patric – Lorenzo Carcaterra * Brad Pitt – Michael Sullivan Along with these top actors are also loads of other smaller parts, as the film is actually full of different people, characters, and insights into the lives of the ...

amyloop 16.08.2007 · Read full review
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Review of Sleepers (DVD)

I read this book, and then saw the film, the impact this film has on you is great, it’s so sad, and like many things tragic in life, it leaves you wanting to know more. The true events are told by one of the members, a group of boys who live in a rough neighbourhood, one day carry out a prank, which leads to drastic consequences with them sent to a boys home called ‘Wilkinson homes for boys’. Their they are sexually, mentally, ...
...home changes them, they witness each other being abused, the events result in them being scarred, their time spent in a boys home makes them into adults. In a year their innocence is taken away for them. It really is horrific the way they are treated, sometimes leaving the viewer in tears. Once released they grow upto be adults, two become gangsters and one a journalist, and the other a lawyer, the two gangsters one day come to face with the warden ...

sam123 07.08.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Sleepers (DVD)

...together through thick and thin. Sleepers (1996) is directed by Barry Levinson in haunting style, providing us with a brilliant thriller. The Plot Four friends growing up in Hell's Kitchen learn they must stick together as friends while their families struggle to feed them. Following a prank gone wrong, they are sent to a youth detention centre, where they are subject to the rule-breaking ways of the warden and his guards. Brutalised and tormented, ...
...years later, they see a chance for revenge. The Cast and Performances The four child actors are very good in their performances as the brutalised children in the detention centre. There is no denying that. But it is the acting from the adult stars that hits home, following the trauma they are forced to live with for the rest of their lives. Jason Patric and Brad Pitt excel as the two best friends of the group, Shakes and Michael. Billy Crudup and ...

pmcds 26.03.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Sleepers (DVD)

Sleepers is the film of 4 young boys living in Hells kitchen, New York. The 4 boys get themselves into trouble and you could call them ‘street kids’ but one day they get themselves in real trouble when they kill a man with a hamburger stall (don’t ask!). For this, they are sentenced to spend some time in a reform detention centre for young boys. While in the detention centre, they get picked on by some of the guards and then beaten ...
...end…. Years later, the boys who are now adults have grown up and have all taken different paths in life. 2 of the boys are still on the streets, killing and doing drugs etc. One day, they walk into their bar, when they see the prison guard who raped them sitting at a table eating a meal. Consequently, due to what they know, they kill him right there and then and get sent down for it. The other 2 boys then do their best to get them out of prison ...

GR-Design 24.01.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Sleepers (DVD)