Sleepless - movie review
Sleepless
Plot: A cop with a connection to the criminal underworld scours a nightclub in search of his kidnapped son.
Cast: Jamie Foxx, Michelle Monaghan, Dermot Mulroney
Director: Baran bo Odar
Certificate: 15 (strong language, violence)
Runtime: 1hr 35 mins
Release Date: Friday 5th May 2017
You know what, looking at the past few months of film, the quality has been fairly high. The last negative review I gave was The Belko Experiment and even that wasn't diabolical. That's why, going into Sleepless, I had actually begun to forget what a bad film felt like. Alas, Sleepless was able to remind me. Being a remake of a French film, Sleepless follows Jamie Foxx's cop character of Vincent as he's caught up in drug deals and kidnappings. In short, Sleepless' title is both an accurate and inaccurate example of my experience. Yes, I fear nightmares from this atrocity yet during the film, sleep seemed like a good idea. It's just so bad.
I'll be honest; generic, basic and simple cop/crime thrillers aren't my cup of tea. When that genre is daring and pushing boundaries of originality, like films such as The Departed, that's when my interest is peaked. I understand that there are a few people that enjoy that specific genre and, for some, Sleepless may be tolerable - so long as you are passed out drunk so you watch none of it. It's the only way I can conceive someone making it through this and coming out the other side scarless. There is an atmosphere to the whole film that is utterly detestable. If there's one thing I hate about supposed 'dark' and 'gritty' cop thrillers is they mistake tragic flaws in a character for being a complete shitstick. Sleepless is full of shitsticks. Excluding Gabrielle Union who plays a nurse (she does exactly what you're thinking come the lacklustre finale), everyone in Sleepless has the most unlikeable characters and the film expects you to root for them. Jamie Foxx's Vincent is a horrible person. He's a mysterious cop who's revealed AT THE VERY START to be a dodgy officer, getting involved with drug deals and heists. This is a police officer who is flat out breaking the law for his own personal gain and by the time his son is kidnapped and entire life is put on hold, I don't care for him. You get what you deserve you arsehole. And to top it all off, there's a twist thrown in about Vincent for good measure that is so obvious going in. The screenwriters clearly think that their 'clever little twist that no-one will ever see coming' is crafty enough to justify all of the horrible acts he's committed previously and instantly think we, the audience, will forgive him. Sod it, he's an undercover cop following an actual dodgy cop. Oh boo-hoo I said a spoiler, I don't care!! I'm fairly certain that the Las Vegas Police Department doesn't require undercover espionage. That's what the FBI is for, well, whenever the President is not firing those in charge. Foxx does nothing to redeem the most mind-numbing of characters. He does what I call, the Neeson. What is the Neeson I hear you say? It's when an actor over the age of 40 stars in low budget action flicks in the hope of reinventing his/her career to suit action films. If this was Foxx's attempt, then it's not off to the best start. If Fox isn't trying for 'The Neeson' and he was actually intrigued by the script, then he's lost the plot.
FACT: Marks the second time Jamie Foxx has played a cop. He previously portrayed one in Miami Vice.
Sleepless could have been redeemed with passable action. Unfortunately, it doesn't even succeed with that. On the upside (not that there is much of one), the action scenes avoid the shaky cam or quick cut/high frame rate that other films adopt that suggests the filmmaker doesn't want us to actually see the action. In this film, we see the fights, both hand and gun based, and they're just as disorientating. They lack any spark or energy. Plus, Jamie Foxx is constantly getting his ass beat. Watching two senile pensioners go toe to toe in a boxing ring would be more thrilling. As for the plot, I'll do my best to summarise what happens but it's a tall order. Vincent is a cop who, after getting his hands on drug money, is in trouble with the wrong sorts of people. His son is kidnapped and he has to come to an agreement before his son is killed. He'll get the drugs and money back and then he'll lose it. Then he'll get his son back and just as quickly lose him again. This continues for the entire goddamn film. It's like Vincent is a pro at hot potato. As for his actual son, I was wanting the criminals to hurry up and kill him. He whines and moans and complains about everything and then doesn't even think about the struggle his dad is facing. There's even a side plot with Michelle Monaghan and David Harbour in which they are investigating Jamie Foxx's cop. For two officers who are supposedly the good guys, what a pair of tossers!! Monaghan portrays a female cop who don't take no shit from any man. That's a cool idea but when you make her out to be a maniacal bitch who is frankly rude to everyone and anyone, then what is the point of her character? Odar has mistaken an independent woman for a borderline sociopath. As for David Harbour, watch the first scene with his character in. Everything you think that may happen to him, does happen. You're not overthinking it. This film really is that generic.
A pet hate of mine is a movie thinking playing it safe is the best option and then fails to do even the simplest of things well. Sleepless throws in every trope that can be found in a crime thriller film and chucks in possibly the most unlikeable and wholly ridiculous characters in film this year. About half an hour in, my butt left the seat thinking I needn't suffer any longer but then I realised that once in awhile, I need to see the bad to appreciate the good. However, I wish I had left.
My Verdict: 1/10
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