Sleepless
2001
One of the major innovators of the horror film, Italian director Dario Argento (TENEBRE, SUSPIRIA) was one of the first auteurs to raise the previously dismissed genre to the level of art. Known for his striking visuals and elegant approach to gore and violence, Argento teams up with acclaimed actor Max von Sydow (THE EXORCIST, .. Read more
| Starring | Max Von Sydow, Max von Sydow, Stefano Dionisi, Chiara Caselli |
|---|---|
| Director | Dario Argento |
| Genres | Horror |
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Sleepless
One of the major innovators of the horror film, Italian director Dario Argento (TENEBRE, SUSPIRIA) was one of the first auteurs to raise the previously dismissed genre to the level of art. Known for his striking visuals and elegant approach to gore and violence, Argento teams up with acclaimed actor Max von Sydow (THE EXORCIST, AWAKENINGS) for this terrifying murder mystery. When a town becomes plagued by a group of grisly murders, con Sydow finds himself called on to find the killer.
The second part of this 2-disc set features the Indenpendent Film Channel documentary AN EYE FOR HORROR featuring clips from various Argento films along with testimonials by Dario, John Carpenter, Alice Cooper, Keith Emerson, Daria Nicolodi, Asia Argento, Lamberto Bava, and others.
| Starring | Max Von Sydow, Max von Sydow, Stefano Dionisi, Chiara Caselli, Gabriele Lavia |
|---|---|
| Director | Dario Argento |
| Studio | ARROW FILMS |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 57 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Horror |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 11 Dec 2006 Production year: 2001 |
| Format | DVD |
Sleepless (2001)
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Critics' reviews
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A disappointing giallo shocker from Dario Argento. Two bravura sequences aside - one a snaking, knee-level pan through... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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8 out of 9 people found this review helpful
Argento shows us why he is Italy's finest
The 1990's wasn't a good decade for Italy's premier horror director. His trip to the USA resulted in a decidedly average film with 'Trauma', then he made 'The Stendhal Syndrome', which was also a disappointment, and, of course, his universally lambasted remake of The Phantom of the Opera. However, he has proved with this movie that he most certainly is not down and out; as Sleepless is by far his best film in fourteen years, and one the best films that Argento has ever made. Sleepless stars Max von Sydow as former police detective Moretti, the detective on the case of the notorious 'Dwarf' murders, 17 years earlier. After the murder of his mother, von Sydow promised a young boy that he would catch her killer. That boy is now an adult, and the murders have started again; leaving only von Sydow and the young man to solve the case. The murders aren't done without clues however, as left at the scene of each one is a cut-out of an animal, all of which link to a mysterious nursery rhyme.
This film is giallo at it's best. Dario Argento creates one of the best atmospheres in any of his movies for this film. Some of the set pieces are absolutely fantastic, and the film breathes an air of malice for it's duration. Sleepless is full of surprises, and through this, Argento is able to make us believe the literally anything can happen; and it often does. This is an excellent thing for a thriller to do; nobody wants to know what's going to happen next, and Sleepless is most certainly a film that has the ability to keep you on the edge of your seat, begging for more of the plot to be revealed. As ever, Argento manages to submerge the viewer into the film, and this is one of the movie's most pleasing aspects. Another thing about this movie that will please fans of Italian horror is the absolutely sublime score by the brilliant 'Goblin'. Argento and his house band have had some memorable collaborations, and this one most certainly stands tall as one of them. I would even call it the best once since Suspiria; it is that good.
Dario Argento has also become famous for the great way that he uses the camera, and this film is a fine example of that also. Dario Argento directs our attention through numerous things, and his camera work throughout the movie is as inventive as ever. Through his direction, the film manages to build up massive levels of tension. The great sequence on the train towards the start of the movie is an excellent example of this. Argento is admirable not only for his directing, but for the fact that he writes his own movies also. The script of the movie is decent enough, but the real genius in the writing department for this movie is the nursery rhyme that is the backbone of the film. The rhyme is written by Argento himself, and it certainly shows. It is deliciously bleak and twisted (especially considering it's supposed to be a children's rhyme!), and it creates a great mood for the film. The part in which von Sydow reads out the final verse over the closing credits is incredible; von Sydow's voice and the rhyme itself combine to lend the movie a dark horror vibe like no other. Argento fans will also be thankful for the fact that this film contains more than it's fair share of bloodshed. Some of the scenes even made me - a man that loves blood and gore - cringe. A head is bashed against a wall; teeth first, a young lady is viciously decapitated, fingers are lopped off, heads explode and, my personal favourite, a scene that sees someone brutally beaten with an English horn. It has to be seen to be believed, it really does.
Like many Italian horror films, Sleepless isn't the best film ever made in terms of acting, and at times the plot isn't always well paced. The dubbing is also as terrible as ever; but who cares? You don't go into a giallo expecting to see great acting and plotting, and therefore it can very easily be forgiven. Especially when the film has a great Goblin soundtrack, a solid plot and gratuitous scenes of gore. Any Argento fan will be happy movie with this movie, I can almost guarantee it; and providing that he doesn't fall down with 2004's The Card Player, Argento could be back to his uncompromising and atmospheric best. -
Most recent members' review
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Whistle while you work
Dario, we need some new material.
I am a huge Argento fan, and whilst I enjoyed parts of this film it does not live up to any of his earlier films.
It is nicely paced but predictable and at times I found myself thinking about what to eat instead of who was doing the killings (worked it out tres quickly).
Max Von Sydow pays a welcome visit but unfortunately cannot pull this film out of the mire.
After a seventeen year absence the Dwarf killer returns to wreak havoc on Turino. But who is the Dwarf Killer? I'll give you a clue.....it isn't the parrot.
If this is your first venture into Argento's world then I strongly advise you to send it back and start from the beggining. (The Bird with the Crystal plumage will be your first...don't argue!).
Watch this film after all of the other ones he has made, bar none. -
News and features
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Ryan dating McMahon?
- 23 Nov 2009
Meg Ryan appears to be back on the Hollywood dating scene after she was spotted enjoying a string of romantic dinners with Nip/Tuck star Julian Mcmahon. The Sleepless in Seattle actress took a break from romance following the end of her marriage to Dennis Quaid and split from Russell Crowe in 2000, concentrating on raising son Jack Henry and adopted daughter Daisy. But according to Australia's Herald Sun, she's recently been photographed on several "cosy" dates with Aussie actor McMahon in Los Read more
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