Sleepers

1996 • 147 minutes
4.6
426 reviews
73%
Tomatometer
R
Rating
Eligible
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About this movie

Four ordinary boys. A harmless prank gone awry. Their childhood innocence forever shattered, they vow to avenge its loss in the haunting drama Sleepers. Sentenced to spend time at a reform school for their reckless behavior, four basically good boys from a bad neighborhood suffer a horrible fate while there. Forced to perform unspeakable acts by the very adults entrusted to watch over them, the young quartet barely survives the ordeal. A decade and a half later, nothing can erase the painful memories. But neighborhood justice, with a little support from a loyal priest, helps even the score. Academy Award-winners Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman team up with international superstars Kevin Bacon, Brad Pitt and Jason Patric, along with Academy Award-winning director Barry Levinson (Rain Man), in this compelling drama of shocking retribution.
Rating
R

Ratings and reviews

4.6
426 reviews
SM Potts
December 28, 2020
I think about how children are still put in situations, whether they have committed a crime, or not, with adults who have opportunity to exploit their vulnerability, and how often it doesn't take threats to maintain silence. As we see here, it is often kept a secret by the misplaced guilt and shame of a child victim. I was born in the 1950's, and was naturally outspoken, not a trait usually cultivated in little girls then. But my mother didn't shame me if I was speaking my mind. Wise mom.
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gaming is on fire
November 11, 2018
Must see classic. Interesting fact; Brad Renfro who portrays a young Michael, was under the influence of drugs during the filming. (Just pot and a little bit of coke) He unfortunately died of a heroine overdose at the age of 25. He dominated the covers of teen magazines in the late 90's along side Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Andrew Keegan and Mathew Laurence. Rest in Peace Brad Renfro.
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Val Hernandez
April 22, 2021
This is so real, from the portrayal of it's lasting effects on a person, to how the kids turned out. Sadly, the most inaccurate part if the film on is how the boys ended with a sense of justice done. Most go on carrying the abusers burden without any justice.
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