SLEEPERS (DVD/WS 2.35/TRAILER/PROD NOTES) DVD

Sleepers
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. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Cast Kevin Bacon as Sean Nokes Robert De Niro as Father Bobby Dustin Hoffman as Danny Snyder Billy Crudup as Tommy Marcano Bruno Kirby as Shakes' Father Jason Patric as Lorenzo, a.k.a. Shakes Vittorio Gassman as King Benny Brad Pitt as Michael Minnie Driver as Carol Ron Eldard as John Brad Renfro as Young Michael Sullivan Wendell Pierce as Little Caesar Aida Turturro as Mrs Salinas Terry Kinney as Ferguson

Crew Louis Di Giaimo - Casting Gloria Gresham - Costume Designer Barry Levinson - Director Stu Linder - Editor Peter Giuliano - Executive Producer John Williams - Composer (Music Score) Kristi Zea - Production Designer Michael Ballhaus - Cinematographer Steve Golin - Producer Barry Levinson - Producer Barry Levinson - Screenwriter

Sleepers
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. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
 

John Wiliams: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Dramatic Score (nominated)

General Specifications: Language Options: English, French Subtitle Options: English, French, Spanish Sound Processing: DD5.1: Dolby Digital w/ sub-woofer channel Additional Features: Interactive menus Production notes Scene access Theatrical trailer Languages: English and Français Subtitles: English, Français, and Español DVD Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1: Cinemascope MPAA Rating: R DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 2 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 148 min   DVD Chapters: Jump to a Scene 0. Jump to a Scene 1. Friendship deeper than blood (Credits). [3:02] 2. Hell's Kitchen 1966 (Walk like a Man). [1:55] 3. Easy targets at Holy Angels (Warmth of the Sun). [3:39] 4. Father Bobby and Carol Martinez (Good Vibrations). [2:11] 5. King Benny then and now. [3:42] 6. Michelangelo on asphalt. [2:16] 7. Needing a priest. [2:19] 8. More than the right thing to do. [2:08] 9. Hitting the hot-dog vendor (Gimme Some Lovin'). [3:43] 10. The minute everything changed. [2:01] 11. The least of my brethren. [3:12] 12. A good lie. [2:18] 13. First day at Wilkinson. [3:22] 14. The cafeteria floor. [4:59] 15. Childhood's end. [2:38] 16. Close to Father Bobby. [4:32] 17. A gift. [2:28] 18. 90 Minutes Of Freedom. [3:47] 19. The beaten and the dead. [2:00] 20. "The truth stays with us." [3:08] 21. 1981: A Familiar Face. [5:02] 22. Watching him die. [3:43] 23. Payback time. [5:34] 24. Prejury or favor. [1:27] Jump to a Scene 0. Jump to a Scene 1. No choice for Snyder or Shakes. [5:13] 2. The other guy's girl. [4:26] 3. A pocket still empty. [1:18] 4. Something to pray for. [4:12] 5. A decision to make. [6:17] 6. One drinker or another. [5:05] 7. Handing over Adam Styler. [3:05] 8. Maybe. [3:51] 9. The dirty end of the field. [2:03] 10. A debt beyond dollars. [2:33] 11. Ferguson on the stand. [9:41] 12. Retribution. [1:01] 13. The eyes of justice. [1:39] 14. Father Bobby for the defense. [8:05] 15. The verdict. [:40] 16. Time for something else. [2:17] 17. Comrades again (Walk like a Man). [3:13] 18. Our happy ending. [2:25] 19. End Credits. [4:44]