Sleeping Dogs

Great to see Russell Crowe back on our screens even if it's not in the same standard as past great successes . I don't know or care why he and Guy Pearce appear to not be offered the type of movies they used to get despite both having starred in some great movies while we are being fed a diet of so called " Blockbusters " featuring less talented actors rehashing old movies , mostly with inferior results despite massive budgets . This is not a GREAT Movie but is lifted from a 3 or 4 to a solid 6 by Crowes reliable performance and another excellent performance by Scottish actor Tommy Flannagan who SURELY deserves a major role himself and not just known for his Sons of Anarchy role where he stood out ( not difficult compared to some other " lead " actors ) . I admit that , at first , I didn't recognise Tommy but was struck by his resemblence nowadays to a real LEGEND , the great Anthony Zerbe , who had a great career but like Tommy Flannagan , never quite got the recognition he deserved.

The movie is just average, things like music, cinematography etc. It's not bad but nothing new or special. The plot is a bit convoluted which will either keep you engaged or annoy you depending on your mood.

Solid performances from the main players, particularly the creepy yet sexy professor guy.

Russel Crowe is the main character, a retired detective with a new/old case. It's basically a mystery detective story with some added drama psychology elements.

The biggest problem is one has to keep ones attention to know what is happening but it's mostly just dialogue and Mr. Crowe asking people stuff which leads to new discoveries so he goes and asks some more.

A title like 'Sleeping Dogs' should already tell you it's not going to be a high-octane thriller and some of the complaints about the slow-burn pace of this film may have missed the point regarding its very solid tonal consistency. It's an 'old' film by design. This is reflected in the casting, the murder/whodunnit trope, the 'mystery' incidental music and the dated style of storytelling with the reveal at the end. There's nothing wrong with any of the performances, particularly Russell Crowe's portrayal of a man who knows he's past his peak and harbouring concerns about the reliability of his memory. Tommy Flanagan also manages fine in a larger role but I couldn't decide if Karen Gillan was intentionally overdoing it or just did a spectacular job of playing a control freak nutcase. Sleeping Dogs may not appeal to everyone but if you're over 50 (and no longer a gladiator) you'll likely find it relatable.

One sentence summary: To keep his mind active following an experimental medical treatment for Alzheimer's, a retired detective decides to revisit an old closed case.

While I would stop short of calling Sleeping Dogs a good movie, there is plenty to like about this Russell Crowe-led independent mystery. It unashamedly draws inspiration from films like Memento (2000) and, more recently, Memory (2022), but Crowe's performance is what gives this movie its own spark. The supporting cast provided him with little help, though, as he was noticeably a league above his co-stars. Inconsistent pacing also hurt the film at times, hampering the momentum that the twisty, occasionally convoluted story seeks to build. Luckily, the movie concludes with a bang, delivering a gut-punch ending that is equally satisfying and devastating.

Greetings again from the darkness. It's easy to forget that Russell Crowe was once Oscar nominated three years in a row, winning Best Actor for Ridley Scott's epic, GLADIATOR (2000), and has probably deserved two or three additional nominations. His reputation has not won him many industry friends over the years, but to his credit, he keeps plugging away - some minor roles in big films, and some lead roles in smaller films. Crowe can still command the screen with his presence, even when the material is slight (see THE POPE'S EXORCIST, 2023).

This project from writer-director Adam Cooper (writer, EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS, 2014) and his frequent writing partner Bill Collage has been adapted from Eugen O. Chirovici's 2017 novel, "The Book of Mirrors". It's Cooper's directorial debut, and it's entertaining enough, especially if one can avoid comparisons to other similar crime drama films, especially the classic MEMENTO (2000). In this one, Crowe stars as Roy Freeman, a former homicide detective who lost his badge after a drunk driving accident. He has recently undergone an experimental brain procedure designed to help him regain some of the memories Alzheimer's has robbed him of. Roy's apartment has notes posted everywhere. These notes remind him of his name, remind him of his shoe size, and remind him that his Hungry Man dinners are hot when they come out of the microwave. Turns out, it's too late for a note to remind him not to put the TV remote in that same mircrowave.

A ten year old case he worked is brought up by a group looking to prevent an innocent man from being executed. Roy has no memory of the case, so he re-visits the files and tracks down his old partner, Jimmy Remis (played by Tommy Flanagan, in a reunion of GLADIATOR actors). What follows is a sufficiently intricate web of characters to keep us interested and guessing. The murder victim was Professor Wieder (Marton Csokas), and the usual suspects include his PTSD-suffering handyman Wayne Devereaux (Thomas M Wright), Wieder's research assistant and lover Laura Baines (Karen Gillan, Nebula in the Marvel Universe), Laura's other lover Richard Finn (Harry Greenwood) who is writing a book on the murder, and a couple other characters tossed in to knock Roy and us off track.

Flanagan and Csokas are two of my favorite character actors - both always bring something interesting to their roles, and here it's Gillan's Laura that seems to offer the most intrigue - changing names, locales, and personalities, all while publishing a book on a theory of how 'bad' memories can be replaced with good ones, or erased altogether (think of another classic film, ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, 2004). Roy's flashbacks are handled by quick spurts of moments that he struggles to assemble, which allows us to struggle right alongside him. Roy's plight leaves us with the thought that it's possible to find yourself, and not like what you see. Memory is obviously crucial to the story, and for a second-level crime thriller, there is enough here to keep us going until the conclusion.

In theaters beginning March 22, 2024.