Sleepers

Overview

Barry Levinson directed this crime drama based on a controversial bestseller. Jason Patrick stars as Lorenzo, a New York reporter more commonly called "Shakes," a nickname courtesy of his three childhood pals from Hell's Kitchen -- Michael (Brad Pitt), John (Ron Eldard), and Tommy (Billy Crudup). As kids, all four were sent to reform school after accidentally killing someone during a cruel prank. There, the boys were raped and beaten by several guards, including Sean Nokes (Kevin Bacon), a fact that they've kept secret into adulthood. Michael is now a rising star in the district attorney's office, while John and Tommy are founders of the Irish gang the Westies. When Nokes walks into John and Tommy's hangout, they kill him in cold blood and go on trial, defended by a drug-addicted lawyer (Dustin Hoffman). Michael and Shakes conspire with childhood friend Carol (Minnie Driver) and local priest Father Bobby (Robert DeNiro) to free their friends and get even with the surviving guards. Based on a true story chronicled by Lorenzo Carcaterra in his novel of the same name, Sleepers stirred controversy when the veracity of the book was challenged by reporters who could find no documentation of the events described.

Product Details

Release Date:	11/03/2009
UPC:	0883929091607
Original Release:	1996
Rating:	R
Source:	Warner Home Video
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:28:00

Special Features

Closed Caption; Theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Kevin Bacon	Sean Nokes
Robert De Niro	Father Bobby
Dustin Hoffman	Danny Snyder
Jason Patric	Lorenzo aka `Shakes'
Brad Pitt	Michael
Minnie Driver	Carol
Vittorio Gassman	King Benny
Billy Crudup	Tommy
Ron Eldard	John
Terry Kinney	Ferguson
Joe Perrino	Young Shakes,mlody Lorenzo
Brad Renfro	Young Michael
Jonathan Tucker	Young Tommy
Geoffrey Wigdor	Young John
Bruno Kirby	Shakes' Father
Jeffrey Donovan	Addison
Lennie Loftin	Styler
Sean Reilly	Young King Benny
Joe Urla	Carson
Wendell Pierce	Little Caesar
Frank Medrano	Fat Mancho
John Slattery	Fred Carlson
Aida Turturro	Mrs. Salinas
Ben Hammer	Judge Weisman
James Pickens Jr.	Marlboro
Peter Gerety	Juvenile Lawyer
Michael Moran	Juvenile Judge,Juvenile Judge
Peter Appel	Boyfriend
Tom Signorelli	Confession Man
Gayle Scott	Confession Woman
Eugene Byrd	Rizzo
William Butler	Juanito
Dash Mihok	K.C.
Zach Ansley	Burly Man
Daniel Mastrogiorgio	Nick Davenport
Peter Rini	Frank
Larry Romano	1st Man
Saverio Guerra	2nd Man
Henry Stram	Prison Doctor
Mary McCann	Sister Carolyn
Monica Polito	Young Carol
John Stevens Jones	Black Kid
Sean Hatosy	1st Inmate
Conrad Meertens	2nd Inmate
Pat McNamara	Wilkinson Guard
Patrick Tull	Jerry
Marco Greco	Waiter
Paul Herman	Bailiff
Gina Menza	Foreman
Joseph Attanasio	Male Juror
Don J. Hewitt	James Caldwell
Debra Watkins	Miss Pippin
Bruce Smolanoff	Man in Tub
Jenique Torres	Davy's Sister
Ruth Maleczech	Subway Woman
Salvatore Piro	Pizza Guy
Pasquale Cajano	Super
Mario Bosco	Joey
Gerry Becker	Forensics Expert
Casandra Brooks	Young John's Mother
Rose Caiola	Juror
Robert W. Castle	Priest
John Di Benedetto	Tony
Drew Eliot	Business Man #1
Reuben Larry Elliot	Business Man #2
George Georgiadis	Hot Dog Vendor
David Levinson	Actor
Robert De Nrio	Actor
Geoffrey Widgor	Young John Riley
King Benny	Actor
John Williams	Composer

Technical Credits

Barry Levinson

Barry Levinson	Director,Screenwriter,Producer
Ellen Chenoweth	Casting
Louis DiGiaimo	Casting
Peter Giuliano	Executive Producer,Producer
Steve Golin	Producer
Lorenzo Carcaterra	Producer
Lori Arnold	Special Effects
Richard Beggs	Sound Effects
David Boulton	Sound Effects
Lindakay Brown	Sound Effects
Nicole Bugna	Sound Effects
Dean Drabin	Sound Effects
Gerrit Van Der Meer	Producer
Joseph Badalucco Jr.	Stunts

Editorial Reviews

Barry Levinson's Sleepers courted controversy for a number of reasons. Not only was there uncertainty as to whether the purportedly true story really happened, but the Catholic Church also frowned upon one of its major plot points: a priest's struggle over whether or not to lie under oath to protect a pair of vigilantes who have clearly committed murder. If these issues prompted more people to see the film, that's just as well, because it contains some interesting elements beyond those listed above. One is that it convincingly details the struggle of a prosecutor (Brad Pitt) to intentionally botch his case, but subtly enough that it doesn't draw suspicion. Never mind that Levinson doesn't explain why no one makes the connection between Pitt and the two defendants (Ron Eldard and Billy Crudup), who were his childhood friends -- the courtroom scenes are deft enough to excuse the plot hole. Levinson returns to familiar territory in the film's earlier scenes, giving an assured portrait of life in big city ethnic neighborhoods in the 1960s. New York stands in for his native Baltimore, where many Levinson films are set, but the same issues of coming of age in an insular working-class community are explored. There are no outstanding performances, outside of Robert De Niro as the conflicted priest, but the all-star ensemble makes for a solid piece of entertainment with serious issues, some of them more familiar than others, at its core.