Sleepers
Sleepers

Movie spotlight

Sleepers

1991
Movie
220 min
English

Amidst the thaw of glasnost, the Kremlin discovers that two Soviet agents, sent to England under deep cover in 1965, have been “lost.” A beautiful and ambitious Russian agent, sent to London to track them down, becomes embroiled in a tangle of CIA, KGB and MI-5 plots and counterplots as the two lost agents, now utterly assimilated, try to avoid detection.

Insights

IMDb7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes59%
Metacritic58/100
Google Users85%
Director: Barry LevinsonGenres: Crime, Drama, Mystery

Plot Summary

Four childhood friends from the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City are involved in a petty crime that leads to them being sent to a juvenile detention center. Years later, two of them become assistant district attorneys and plan to get revenge on the cruel guards who abused them, while the other two become involved in organized crime.

Critical Reception

Sleepers received mixed reviews from critics. While some praised its ambitious narrative and performances, others found the plot convoluted and the tone inconsistent, particularly its shift between a gritty crime drama and a courtroom thriller.

What Reviewers Say

  • Praised for its strong ensemble cast and ambitious story.

  • Criticized for its convoluted plot and uneven pacing.

  • Some reviewers found the film's blend of genres jarring.

Google audience: Audiences generally appreciated the film's dramatic storyline and the performances of its acclaimed cast. However, some viewers found the plot somewhat predictable or overly complex.

Awards & Accolades

Nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards for "For the First Time".

Fun Fact

The film's ending courtroom sequence was intentionally shot in a way that made the jury seem uncertain, to reflect the ambiguity of justice and memory central to the film's themes.

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