Tommy, John, Michael, and Shakes are four young teenage
punks growing up in the streets of Manhattan’s Hell’s
Kitchen in the mid-1960s. When these four friends pull a
prank that that goes awry, they find themselves serving
time at the Wilkinson School for Boys, where they are
repeatedly and sadistically violated and tortured by
four guards--the most menacing being Noles, portrayed by
Kevin Bacon.
Fifteen years later, the foursome is
still dealing with the emotional repercussions of their
abuse. Tommy (Billy Crudup) and John (Ron Eldard) have
become common criminals, and when they spot Noles in a
local watering hole they can’t pass up the chance for
revenge. It’s up to Shakes (Jason Patric), a low-profile
newspaper employee, and Michael (Brad Pitt), a lawyer
with the district attorney’s office, to save their
friends while keeping the details of their tortured
childhoods secret.
Dustin Hoffman appears as Danny Snyder, and Robert De
Niro stars as Father Bobby, the local neighborhood
priest who is as comfortable on the streets or in a bar
as he is behind the pulpit. Based on the allegedly true
story by Lorenzo Carcaterra, the film is directed by
Barry Levinson (DINER, RAIN MAN).
The film was shown on opening night at the 1996
Venice Film Festival.
Filmed in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY, and Newtown, CT.
Although author Lorenzo Carcaterra claims that SLEEPERS
is based on actual events in his life, there are no
records from the school or from the Manhattan courts to
substantiate his claim.
The film features the screen debut of Billy Crudup!!
Rating Reason: For Language,
Graphic Violence and Two Scenes Of Sexual Content.
Starring: Kevin
Bacon, Billy Crudup, Robert De Niro, Robert DeNiro,
Jeffrey Donovan, Minnie Driver, Ron Eldard, Dustin
Hoffman, Bruno Kirby, B. Kirby, Jason Patric, Joe
Perrino, Brad Pitt, William Bradley Pitt, Brad Renfro,
Jonathan Tucker, Geoff Wigdor
Directed By: Barry
Levinson
Release Information:
Studio: Warner Studios
Theatrical Release Date: October 18, 1996
DVD Release Date: February 3, 2004
Run Time: 148 minutes
Production Company: Warner Home
Video
Package Type: Snap Case
DVD Features:
Encoding:
Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only).
This DVD will probably NOT be viewable in other
countries.
