Sleepers | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

73% Tomatometer 56 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings

Four teenage friends from Hell's Kitchen end up being sent to reform school after almost killing a man. There they are brutalized by the guards. John (Ron Eldard) and Tommy (Billy Crudup) grow up to be hit men who recognize their abuser years later and kill him. Their trial is prosecuted by another member of their gang, who is now the assistant DA.

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Sleepers

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Critics Consensus

Old friendships are awakened by the need for revenge, making Sleepers a haunting nightmare burdened by voiceover yet terrifically captured by Barry Levinson.

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Critics Reviews

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Sleepers | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly Rated: C Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Sleepers | Rotten Tomatoes (2) David Ansen Newsweek The problems start with Levinson's script, which overemploys Patric's florid narration to tell you what you're about to see, what it means and how you should feel about it. Jul 6, 2010 Full Review Sleepers | Rotten Tomatoes (3) Richard Schickel TIME Magazine It is all legally preposterous. But Levinson is a slick craftsman, his actors are insinuatingly real, and cinematographer Michael Ballhaus casts a disarmingly believable light on these proceedings. Aug 14, 2009 Full Review Sleepers | Rotten Tomatoes (4) Brian D. Johnson Maclean's Magazine Levinson knows how to make a movie. He keeps it compelling throughout, and although it runs 2 1/2 hours, Sleepers offers no room for catnaps. Oct 16, 2019 Full Review Sleepers | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews It plays out as a stylish and lurid amoral vigilante thriller, one that never earns the viewer's confidence that this is the real thing. Rated: B- Apr 27, 2015 Full Review Sleepers | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Felix Vasquez Jr. Cinema Crazed Views the gray tones of good and evil and what lengths people are willing to go through to re-claim the dignity they lost as children. Nov 13, 2013 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Matteo G Tra i film più belli di sempre. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/05/24 Full Review Rakelle S While I couldn't look away from Sleepers, the film heavily leaned on the disturbing portrayal of children being tortured and abused, resulting in a deeply uncomfortable viewing experience that will likely linger. The memory is etched in my mind, a constant presence that refuses to fade. The second half felt hurried, and the courtroom sequences came across as highly unrealistic, especially to those familiar with legal procedures. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/25/24 Full Review isa e Brilliant, absolutely stunning, the acting top notch, pacing and dialog perfect. The characters we easy to invest in and believable, the abuse in it is very hard to watch but it is needed to put the events leading to the trial into context. An absolute must see. Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/21/24 Full Review Stacey L An uncomfortable subject but one that is portrayed well by the cast. The performances alone make this one that is in my collection for re watching every few years. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/22/24 Full Review Mr P Never has a film lost so much momentum as soon as the adults take over. Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 11/18/23 Full Review Timothy D Whether or not such immoral, atrocious acts as child abuse should be implied in film a touchy subject. Sleepers relays the pain and bitterness of such victims. While there is a certain satisfaction to how the film ends, there is also the looming question of "did that really happen?" that troubles this entire project. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Barry Levinson Director Kevin Bacon Sean Nokes Robert De Niro Father Bobby Dustin Hoffman Danny Snyder Jason Patric Lorenzo, a.k.a. Shakes Brad Pitt Michael Sullivan
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Synopsis Four teenage friends from Hell's Kitchen end up being sent to reform school after almost killing a man. There they are brutalized by the guards. John (Ron Eldard) and Tommy (Billy Crudup) grow up to be hit men who recognize their abuser years later and kill him. Their trial is prosecuted by another member of their gang, who is now the assistant DA.

Director
Barry Levinson

Producer
Steve Golin, Barry Levinson

Screenwriter
Lorenzo Carcaterra, Barry Levinson

Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures

Production Co
Propaganda Films, Baltimore Pictures, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Rating
R (Language|Graphic Violence|Strong Sexual Content)

Genre
Crime, Drama

Original Language
English

Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 18, 1996, Wide

Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2008

Box Office (Gross USA)
$53.3M

Runtime
2h 32m

Sound Mix
Dolby SR, Dolby A, DTS, Surround, Dolby Digital

Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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