The Age of Commercialism

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Barry Levinson's Sleepers is a very good legal- crime dramatic feature film starring some great actors who get a change to truly shine through. The premise is that a group of 4 boys are sent to a detention center after committing a crime. Over there they are abused routinely until being let go. Deciding not to go vocal with their abuse, the boys go separate ways. Fast forward a decade and some and two of them kill one of the detention center guard after encountering him in a bar. They are convicted but with the help of the other two friends who are lawyers they are freed. The actors from Brad Pitt, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman and Kevin bacon all give great performances in this Barry Levinson film.

Sometimes revenge is the only answerStarring Robert De Nero, Kevin Bacon, Brad Pitt and Dustin HoffmanBased on a book by Lorenzo CarcaterraDirected by and Screenplay by Barry LevinsonThis is another example of something that could have been so much better.I was sat watching this thinking to myself, ' I bet the book is better than this.'There are so many big names in this film and it even has a soundtrack by John Williams, it should have worked but it didn't. There is something that just doesn't work. It felt like the whole movie was crammed together and didn't have room to breathe. We don't get time to get our heads around the story or the individual characters, I spent most of the movie trying to work out which character was which. And just when I was starting to get a grip, we are shoved thirteen years into the future and have to try and work it all out again.Considering the star studded line up, for me it was Dustin Hoffman that came out on top even though he only played a small role. He played to alcohol lawyer with perfection, it's a pity we didn't see any stand out performances by any of the others. I don't know what went wrong. Maybe this movie would have been better served with a different production team or a different director.As for the story itself, it's allegedly based on a true story but that is another story.Watchable but frustratingly disappointing.7/10

I have a strong memory of first viewing Barry Levinson's film of Lorenzo Carcaterra's controversial novel, which the author insisted was autobiographical, despite detractors who have challenged his claim. Regardless, the story of four childhood friends who pull a foolish stunt that changes their lives forever, remains emotionally powerful for the most part, and certainly there's no denying that situations like have happened and will likely continue to happen. The film loses credibility in the second half, but the impression it leaves will stay with you.The story opens in the 1960s in New York's Hell's Kitchen, which is masterfully re-created. Neighborhood pals Shakes (Joe Perrino), Michael (the tragic Brad Renfro), John (Geoffrey Wigdor) and Tommy (Jonathan Tucker) grow up together in a world that is an odd mix of childhood innocence, religion and organized crime. Their ally is Father Robert "Bobby" Carillo (Robert De Niro, who else?) who tries to guide them and encourage them to see beyond Hell's Kitchen. An enjoyable oldies soundtrack adds to the spirit of the story until things change for the worse for the young protagonists. A prank goes terribly wrong, critically injuring an innocent bystander and the boys find themselves sentenced to do time at the Wilkinson's Home For Boys, a juvenile institution where dangerous offenders are housed. Shakes, Michael, John and Tommy find the grimness of the institution difficult, but that does little to prepare them for the nightmare they end up enduring at the hands of sadistic guards, lead by Sean Nokes (Kevin Bacon, in another villainous turn), and it's easy to despise him and the other guards (played by Terry Kinney, Jeffrey Donovan and Lenny Loftkin respectively) for their brutality towards these vulnerable adolescents. Sexual abuse is implied but not shown graphically, but the disturbing sounds of screaming and the broken looks on the faces of the boys more than gets the point across. I'm always somewhat surprised that many reviews overlook just how effective the child actors are, and how they essentially carry the first half of the film. They are all extremely natural, their rapport is believable, and they convey much more with facial expressions than any dialogue. Brad Renfro's performance is especially poignant in retrospect, not only due to his tragically early death but the strong likelihood that he was victimized himself in real life. It adds a more disturbing and touching aspect to the viewing experience.Fast forward to 1981, and John (now played by Ron Eldard) and Tommy (now portrayed by Billy Crudup, in his film debut) have become hardened criminals and one night they come across Sean Nokes by chance in a pub. They take this opportunity to exact revenge, and both Eldard and Crudup give powerhouse performances. Unfortunately, after that, they take a backseat until the film's conclusion. The same can be said for Minnie Driver, who plays the adult Carol Martinez, who was a companion to the young men in the past and still cares deeply for them. Michael (Brad Pitt in the adult role) and Shakes (Jason Patric, who also provides voice-over narration) are both portrayed by competent actors, but their performances are uneven; at times they seem emotionally invested and other times they just seem to be going through the motions. Michael is now a prosecutor and he uses the case as a way to get revenge in his own way, and to do his best to make sure that his friends are acquitted. But will he be able to pull it off? Robert De Niro remains the constant throughout as the priest who will do anything for his boys, while Dustin Hoffman as defense attorney Danny Snyder has little more than a cameo. Bruno Kirby and Vittorio Gassman give respectable supporting turns, but the film belongs to the child actors, De Niro and to a lesser extent Eldard and Crudup. In some ways, "Sleepers" suffers the same fate as similarly flashback-driven movies such as "Stephen King's It" (1990) and "Now And Then" (1995), where the adult actors aren't nearly as compelling as their child counterparts, despite the talent involved.The questions raised here are valid and worth examining. Surely the trauma of abuse, particularly sexual abuse is extremely damaging and soul-destroying, but is it ever acceptable to take the law into one's own hands? Is vigilante justice the answer or does violence simply beget more violence and bloodshed?True story or not, this is an issue that needs to be addressed on both counts.

Barry Levinson directs this film based on the book by Lorenza Carcattera about four friends growing up in Hell's Kitchen, New York... and how one mistake ruins their whole lives. An excellent cast including Robert De Niro, Kevin Bacon, Dustin Hoffman, Jason Patric and Brad Pitt make this film an absolute must for any film fanatic. Yes, the film does include scenes of sexual and physical abuse suffered by the boys when they are sent to a reform school but that is not what this film is about. Its really a tale of revenge and friendship - both of which are tightly bound together in this film. Levinson is not heavy handed in his direction and allows the actors free range to explore their individual characters with great effect. Although two Hollywood greats are present in this film (Hoffman and De Niro), the parts they play are such, that you don't really notice them and that's a good thing. No one actor should be greater than the story being told and there is no greater evidence of this than in this movie.This film is really quite superb. It is very emotional and very moving. Especially as we know it is a true story. The thought of this is disturbing. The story is a bout 4 boys who go to a young offenders home, here they are abused in any kind of way you can imagine, sexually, verbally, physically and mentally. Years after the boys are released, they are displayed with the opportunity of revenge, and they take it. The film shows true friendship, and is one of the best films you will see.Overall rating: 8 out of 10.