Sleepers
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Metascore
49 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 18 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.8 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 21 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
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  • Starring: Brad Pitt, Jason Patric, Kevin Bacon, Robert De Niro
  • Summary: When a Hell's kitchen prank goes awry, a group of boys are sent to a reform institution, where they experience brutal sexual assaults by the sadistic "caretakers." Many years later, a pair of the now-grown victims encounter their chief tormenter and plot to exact revenge.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 18
  3. Negative: 6 out of 18
  1. Variety
    Reviewed by: David Stratton
    90
    Colorful characters, richly evoked settings, epic story of friendship, crime and punishment, and a strong dose of good old-fashioned star power.
  2. Time
    Reviewed by: Richard Schickel
    80
    At some low, what's-next level, Sleepers works like, well, gangbusters. [28 October 1996, p. 113]
    All this critic's reviews
  3. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    50
    By the end, the main thing that's been abused is the audience's intelligence.
  4. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Staff (Not credited)
    30
    The dullest movie ever made about child abuse, conspiracy and murder.

See all 18 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. mrmadrid
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. With a quite unforgiving Metacritic score, this one is worth a second look. Kevin Bacon exhibits his range by playing a repulsive, utterly hateful villain. Truly memorable. Personally, the satisfaction one feels when he gets what's coming to him makes the movie worthwhile, in what is an eerily realistic and well-acted scene of rightous revenge that reminded me of the famous scene in the Godfather when Michael kills the police chief and mob don at the Italian restaurant. The recreation of Hell's Kitchen, New York in the 60s, the social types, daily life, the presence of the Mafia, the lives of the kids there, is very convincing and lavish, really well-done. Sure, it´s conventional and a bit dumb in parts, but the depiction of the era, some great performances make it mesmerizing at times. The users kinder score here is fairer.… Expand
  2. Tss5078
    10
    By this point, Sleepers is legendary, not only as a film that told of the shocking true story of abuse inside of juvenile prisons, but for launching the careers of some of today's best known stars. Along with being one of Brad Pitt and Jason Patric's first major roles, it also launched the film careers of Jonathan Tucker and Geoff Wigdor. Along with a terrific cast of legends and newcomers, Sleepers brought with it an intense story, the likes of which we hadn't really seen before. The film starts out by introducing us to four boys in Hell's Kitchen during the 1960's. These boys are your typical young teens, having fun, and horsing around, when a horrible accident leads them to jail. This is where they're troubles really begin. The second part of the film jumps twenty years into the future, where we see firsthand how this abuse had a profound effect on all the boys, and the results that come from their behavior. The only major actor in both time periods is Kevin Bacon who just keeps getting better. By that point in his career, I'm sure Bacon could have play just about anyone and made it believable. Other people like Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman, give strong performance in what amounts to bit parts in support of the newcomers. Their influence can be seen throughout the film, especially in support of the child actors who I'm sure benefited from being around such legends of the screen. Sleepers is an unbelievable true story that was so well written and supported by some fantastic performances. It's not the perfect movie, but I think it's pretty close.… Expand
  3. avatar16
    9
    Le réalisateur de Rain Man au service d'un nouveau chef-d'oeuvre! Oui, Sleepers est un chef-d'oeuvre! Un grand film qui parle d'un sujet dur et violent (abus sexuels dans les maisons de redressements) non pas de manière excessivement dramatique mais de façon incroyablement sobre. Il n'y a qu'à voir la (longue) intro qui présente les quatre héros, leurs connaissances, leur quartier, dans la bonne humeur. Puis tout vire dans une ambiance plus sombre, le film dévoilant sa puissance. Mise en scène, musique, scénario, casting... Tout dans Sleepers est de qualité pour livrer aux cinéphiles un superbe produit du septième art. Et puis, rien que voir de grands acteurs dans des seconds rôles juteux et inattendus (Robert De Niro en curé, Dustin Hoffman en avocat alcoolique, Kevin Bacon en gardien de prison inhumain...), cela vaut largement le coup d'oeil !… Expand

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