Review of Sleepers (1996) by Brett H — 12 Apr 2015
A highly implausible, but extremely well-acted drama that clearly inspired Dennis LeHane's, Mystic River as both share similar concepts about child molestation, crime, and the bonds between friendship.
The all-star cast is outstanding with the likes of Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Brad Pitt, Minnie Driver, and Kevin Bacon leading the adult cast while young up-and-comers Brad Renfro and Joe Perrino more than hold their own against the seasoned talent.
The story is very grim and the first half of the film is tough to watch with many graphic scenes of violence and sexual abuse towards the young boys, while the second half is about their revenge against their abusers in court.
It's a smartly written script and you're cheering for the boys-now men to get justice, but their con in court is more than a little unbelievable. There are too many loop holes and inept prosecuting that go on for me to believe any of the proceedings, but the film is so well-acted and the story is so riveting that you can forgive it for it's oversights.
This review of Sleepers (1996) was written by Brett H on 12 Apr 2015.
Sleepers has generally received positive reviews.
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