ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

NateWatchesCoolMovies If one looks at each British gangster film as a cup of tea, Mike Hodges's I'll Sleep When I'm Dead is the stale leaves left at the bottom, void of any kind of robustness. I don't mean that in a bad way, as it's a very well made film, but it's also bleak, bitter and populated by characters whose lives have derailed into ditches branching off from what their lives used to be. A shaggy, unkempt Clive Owen plays Will Graham, a former gangster who has relegated himself into obscurity, dwelling in a caravan situated in a rural forest, and peeing into milk jugs. For whatever reason, he's a ghost of his former self and would have it remain that way. Life (and the necessities of plot) has a funny way of turning plans on their head, though. Will has a brash, cocky younger brother (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), an upstart hoodlum who peddles pharmaceuticals at shitty nite clubs and fancies himself top dog. One night he's kidnapped, sodomizes (yes you read that right) and set free, after which, consumed by the trauma, he takes his own life. The perpetrator is a shady automobile tycoon named Boad (Malcolm McDowell) whose reasons for such a nasty and frankly odd act aren't revealed till the third act. Will forced out of recluse and heads to London to rendezvous with his former pal (Jamie Foreman) as well as an old acquaintance (Charlotte Rampling). Owen brings a tired, worn out presence that sometimes flares up with the violent resolve his character no doubt used to have. McDowell steals the show in a role that's really a tough one to get your head around, for both audience and actor. He's actor twisted guy who has committed a heinous act, and Malcolm is kind of a go to guy for creeps and villains. And yet.. in the blistering final confrontation, he lucidly lays down his logic with unnerving gravitas, sticking it to anyone that was expecting his performance to fall back on perverse theatrics (this ain't no clockwork orange). It's and wonderful final scene given the time to breathe and play out before the inevitable violence happens. As far as crime films go, this one trades in energy and attitude for a frayed narrative in which the lines of good and evil are slightly maimed to shed light on humans with the capacity for both in equal measures, and often all at once.

tomsview When I realised that this was a remake of Mike Hodges own "Get Carter", I couldn't help making comparisons. "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" is surprisingly slower but drugs and male rape raise the nastiness ante, despite the fact that "Get Carter" was one of most violent films of the 1970's.A problem in making a crime drama these days is the sheer amount of competition from brilliant, movie length crime series and one-off dramas on television – British ones such as "Lewis", "Wallander", "DCI Banks" and "Vera", and "Jesse Stone" from the US. Interesting plots, characters with depth, and great locations, they have set the bar high.A precursor to them all was "Get Carter". Although Michael Caine's Jack Carter was definitely on the other side of the law, the film featured real locations and characters whose faces revealed their backgrounds before a word was spoken. Although well made, "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead"comes too late to add much to the genre.In "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead", Clive Owen's Will Graham returns from a long absence to visit his brother, Davey. He discovers that Davey committed suicide after being brutally sodomised by a sadistic gangster. Will, a former criminal hardman, has been working as a logger in the country. He lives in his van and has no wish to return to his former life of crime. However, he seeks revenge for his brother and causes a disturbance amongst his former criminal associates.Both films have a strong sense of journey. In "Get Carter" Jack Carter travels from London to Newcastle on the train and then drives through narrow, grim looking streets to attend his brother's funeral. Will Graham travels to London in his van through forests, tunnels and nighttime streets. Both Carter and Graham are violent men, but in Will Graham's case, this is established more by reputation; he only kills one person in "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead", while Jack Carter's body count in "Get Carter" is significantly higher.A big difference between the two films is the underlying humour Michael Caine brought to his role. In a scene at a racetrack, Jack Carter intimidates an old adversary, Eric Paice, played by Ian Hendry. "Still got your sense of humour", Eric sarcastically observes. Carter replies straight-faced, "Yes, I have always retained that Eric". It's an observation that Eric makes twice; the last time is just before Carter clubs him to death. There are no exchanges like that in "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead", Clive Owen is far more serious; his Will Graham is more introspective than Jack Carter, and he doesn't do humour, black or otherwise.Charlotte Rampling plays an old flame of Will's. Even in her late 50's she still brings her enigmatic quality to the film – she never has to do much to make an impression.Both films end on an ambiguous note although "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" takes ambiguity to a new level. While "Get Carter" ends along the lines of live by the sword, die by the sword, "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" leaves us completely up in the air. It's a far less satisfying ending, annoying really, because after a slow start the movie does gets you in – a resolution would have been nice.

Desertman84 I'll Sleep When I'm Dead is a crime film directed by Mike Hodges that is from a screenplay written by Trevor Preston. The movie features a man that return to their former hometowns to investigate the death of a brother that has died under mysterious circumstances and plot a revenge to those who were responsible.It stars Clive Owen,Jonathan Rhys- Meyers,Malcolm McDowell and Charlotte Rampling.Will Graham is a former London gangster who moved out to the country after suffering a breakdown of some sort. He works clearing forests, and lives out of his van, until he loses his job over a lack of proper documentation. Meanwhile, Will's younger brother, Davey, is enjoying his life as a womanizing man about town, and dabbling in drug dealing, until one night, when an older man, Boad has him followed and brutally assaults him. The traumatized Davey returns home and takes his own life. Will, uncertain as to where to go, finds himself drawn back to London, where he learns of Davey's death from Mrs. Barz, his landlady. Will investigates what happened that night with his old friend, Mickser. As Will tries to piece together what happened, he goes to visit Helen, his former lover, who is less than thrilled to see him after he abandoned her years earlier and eventually cut off all contact. The current neighborhood crime boss,Turner, knows what Will is capable of, and sees him as a threat. Eventually, Will uncovers the truth, and is faced with the unpleasant prospect of avenging Davey's death.This is another type of revenge film for it presents dark themes that might not be suitable to everyone.I may not expect everyone to like this film.But nevertheless,one cannot help but credit the cast for a wonderful performance particularly Owen and Rampling.Overall,it is a good, tight, well-made piece of filmmaking for it is a true representation of gangster movies that is unnerving that is yet completely sure of every step it takes.

grunsel I had expected better things of Trevor Preston and Mike Hodges and perhaps give them the benefit of the doubt that their original vision was manipulated by the money men. But even so this really is a dreary load of clichéd cods wallop with the plot stolen from Get Carter. The wheels kept coming off the waggon as I watched, but the final one to make the film crash to floor in clichés was when he opened the garage and there was a 1960s Jaguar sitting there. It might have made a half decent 50 minute Sweeney episode in the 1970s but as a movie its a complete waste of money. The British film elite are always complaining about lack of money, well if they stopped giving it to the same old lethargic luvvies to make the same old junk all the time, they might end up with a proper 'industry' in which digestible movies are churned out week after week?.