Maidexpl Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast
Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.
Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.
Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.
Predrag This is a pretty good movie about a drug dealer with a conscience. I enjoyed the look and feel of the film, but felt that the script and story-line struggled at points. In one instance, Dafoe's character relates "White drugs for white people". Also, Dana Delaney puts in a good performance but definitely second to Dafoe's - her performance is not quite complete, and I was left feeling as though the film just had that extra something missing.This is a brilliant film. The raw, humane, unvarnished look at the life of a mid level drug dealer in Manhattan is uniquely captivating, and Willem Defoe plays the part to perfection. The story itself is underwhelming, common, real. The protagonist's struggles through life are much like anyone else's. Anyone else's in New York, at least. But the context of his life, the rhythms of it, are very different. The random encounters with love and violence touch him as arbitrarily as they touch each of us, and he reacts to them with the same confusion, elation, and pain. This is the film's genius, and it allows an unusually close emotional bond to develop between the protagonist and the audience.Overall rating: 8 out of 10.
IForgotMyMantra Typically seedy Schrader movie but worth sticking through. The plot is standard fare (dealer/addict wanting to go clean) and the beginning portion is rather grim but it all gets going soon enough. The noir atmosphere is effective and useful in reflecting the state of mind of the characters. Once the mystery starts, the plot engages although the mystery isn't as suspenseful or as clear as it could be. Still, Dafoe's strong performance as well as Sarandon's carry things along nicely. In spite of the lack of mystery, there's still some genuine intrigue (who will betray him?) in the plot as well as that potent mood make this one of Schrader's best.
valerie-86 I was surprised to see this movie follow so closely the beats and phrases of American Gigolo in so many ways. SPOILER ALERT --- For Instance, the nice guy protagonist - feeling guilty about his profession, decides he has reached a moral high ground in his life and wants to change. As if by accident, he meets the woman capable of making him a changed man - in this case, it was an ex-wife. They rekindle their passions, only to find complications. Those complications, coupled with a homicide investigation (involving a client) makes life a living hell for our protagonist. In the end, both Gere and Defoe share that obligatory jail scene with their "loved one" claiming that they are "saved" by their love. Although the basic plot lines are similar, the movies are different in many ways. SLEEPER seemed to be less fleshed out in characterization. We never completely scratched the surface of the characters. All seemed to have more "submerged" beneath the surface than visible to the audience (which was frustrating) because we basically LIKE these people, even if they are Drug Dealers. Sarandon is superb in this movie - makes you wish she did more like this. But all in all, it mirrored American Gigolo so closely that by the time the final scene played out, I was laughing out loud at the obvious similarities to Gigolo. Not an homage - but a rip off, apparently.
Didier (Didier-Becu) I guess I am the one to blame but I never understood this picture, not in the cinema not on telly and it has nothing to do that Schrader is a "difficult" director as I always adored "Mishima" which must be one of the most difficult mades ever made, but I blame it a bit on the acting as Dafoe and Sarandon do their job in a professional way but it's done without any depth. We follow the journeys of John LeTour (Dafoe) who is a drugsdealer who is now clean and during his "job" he meets old persons back who were addicted, also Marianne (Dana Delany) who used to be LeTour's lover. The day Marianne got killed Dafoe comes into a real personal crisis as he can't decide whether he has to love or despise his "job". Won't go any further as otherwise I tell you too much that might spoil the fun but even if this Schrader's fave movie I have other opinions swirling inside my head, just don't get it....
