It was always likely that Lorenzo Carcaterra's best-selling autobiographical novel, Sleepers, would be filmed sooner or later. Even so, the speed with which Steve Golin, chairman of Propaganda Films (one of the production arms of rising Euromajor PolyGram) pounced was still a surprise, as the book was still only at the galley proof stage.Carcaterra's gritty story, set in New York's Hell's Kitchen in the 60s, broaches a subject, sexual abuse, which many Hollywood filmmakers would go a long way to avoid. Its protagonists are four kids who are slung into reform school after a prank goes disastrously wrong. Once behind bars, they are tortured and raped by guards. Years later, they are presented with a chance of revenge, but by taking it, they risk re-opening old wounds, and risking their own futures.
Golin regards the film as a sweeping drama in the tradition of The Godfather and The Deer Hunter, but acknowledges that it was crucial to pitch it correctly to ensure audiences would not be alienated by the uncompromising subject matter. Choosing the right director was crucial. Barry Levinson was an obvious candidate. 'Barry's work is always tasteful,' Golin observes. 'In other hands, the film could have been hard to look at.'
Levinson is an expert chronicler of the minutiae of American life, combining smaller projects such as Tin Men and Diner, set in his home town of Baltimore, with big-budget efforts, such as Rain Man and Good Morning Vietnam. Sleepers offered him a rare opportunity to work on an epic canvas with big-name stars while still paying his usual attention to character.
The director adapted the novel himself. It's clear he felt an affinity with the childhood experiences Carcaterra describes. 'Although I grew up in a very different environment, when I read Lorenzo's book, I found it very compatible to the kind of work I might do.' He believes that Sleepers is a full-blown American tragedy. 'Often events occur early in our lives that affect everything that comes after.'
His four protagonists (played as youngsters by newcomers Joe Perrino, Brad Renfro, Geoffrey Wigdor and Jonathan Tucker) sound like 60s counterparts to the Dead End Kids, delinquents with scant regard for parents or authorities who run wild on the streets. The one older character they trust is Father Bobby (Robert De Niro) from the Church Of The Holy Angels. They have their own morality, but it isn't necessarily one which tallies with conventional notions of good and evil.
The US$45 million film was shot on location in New York. Levinson and cinematographer Mikhail Ballhaus didn't neglect the dirt and squalor of the streets, but also tried to capture the sense of awe the city inspired in the young tearaways. Before the events which land them up in reform school, the seething metropolis seems like a gigantic playground to Michael, John, Tommy and Lorenzo.
Any film with De Niro and Hoffman above the title is likely to attract attention, but the two stars (both due in Venice) are in minor roles. 'As Father Bobby, De Niro is active throughout the story,' Levinson points out, 'but Hoffman, who plays a two-bit lawyer, found an interesting challenge in a relatively small part.'
The crucial parts are those of the tearaways themselves. Brad Pitt and Jason Patric play Lorenzo and Michael as adults. The former is a rising young lawyer, the latter a journalist. Both seem to have erased their horrific experiences from memory, but they are not prepared to abandon their old friends. The presence of Pitt and Patric will go a long way to convincing sceptical audiences not to be frightened of the film or its subject matter. Previews have been encouraging. 'Men and women, young and old have all enjoyed it,' Golin enthuses. He believes Sleepers will prove that it is indeed possible to make 'an intelligent quality film' in Hollywood and find an audience.
Geoffrey Macnab
Prod Co: Propaganda Films/ Baltimore Pictures
Prod: Steve Golin, Barry Levinson
Dir/Scr: Barry Levinson
Ph: Michael Ballhaus
Prod Des: Kristi Zea
Cos: Gloria Gresham
Mus: John Williams
Ed: Stu Linder
Cast: Joe Perrino, Brad Renfro, Geoffrey Wigdor, Jonathan Tucker, Brad Pitt, Jason Patric
Running time: 140 mins
Int'l sales: PolyGram
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