Sleepers (1996)

Right off the top, Sleepers tells you it’s a true story, and that claim was challenged hard when the book came out. It’s really two films. The first follows four boys from a rough Manhattan neighborhood who are sent to a reform school where guards abuse them, and Barry Levinson handles it with restraint, keeping the worst off screen. Brad Renfro is especially good. Kevin Bacon plays the lead guard with a cold, smirking calm that’s genuinely chilling. The second film is a slick courtroom scheme, and it treats that pain like the setup for a heist. Brad Pitt and Jason Patric are stiff, the voiceover explains everything twice, and at 147 minutes it sags. Dustin Hoffman’s rumpled lawyer and Robert De Niro’s priest give it weight. It made $165.6 million worldwide on a reported $44M. A 6.4 because the first half is handled with care and the second half wants to be a caper. $37.38 says you think of the friend who always had your back growing up, and you send them a message before bed.

What works: The young cast and Levinson’s restraint in the first half, plus De Niro and Hoffman giving the trial real weight.

What doesn’t: The courtroom half turns real pain into a clever scheme, with heavy voiceover and flat performances from the adult leads.

Who it’s for: Adults who want a serious drama about friendship and justice and are ready for a very heavy subject.