Movie Review: Sleepers

[wook77]

I'm almost completely done with my resolution of 50 books and 50 movies (I'm short 5 movies for the year but am over 100 books already this year :D) but those new books and movies aren't what I thought I'd post about.

One of my favorite movies is Sleepers. It's set in Hell's Kitchen in the 60s/70s, centering around with 4 boys who make one small mistake and get eaten alive by the system and then take revenge on the people that raped them as children. It's all about the choices we make and those that are made for us, how they affect us and what we do with them.

It's got a brilliant cast in it. Cast list includes Brad Pitt, Jason Patric, Robert De Nero, Minnie Driver, Brad Renfro, Dustin Hoffman, Billy Crudup, and, as all things head back to - Kevin Bacon.

It's perfectly paced with brilliant transitions and a fantastic voice over/narration.

It's tightly plotted. There are no wasted scenes, every scene has a purpose and adds to the story rather than distracting from it.

It deals with a horrible, awful scenario and doesn't shy away from the horrors of juvie, prisons and child rape.

It's very close to the book. Surprisingly close to the book with the way that movies normally rape the text and make a mockery of the books.

It is, in short, one of the best movies that I've ever seen.

Comments

[reddwarfer.livejournal.com]

That movie! ♥

[kaalee.livejournal.com]

I remember that movie from years ago. So. Good. I should watch it again.

[gala-apples.livejournal.com]

i love that movie! we watched it for sociology, each unit we had we watched a movie, i'm nearly positive it was for the 'what makes a criminal' unit. and then i made my dad watch it like a year later when it was on tv, he had to stay up until three. i thought it was brilliant.