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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Stay awake...if only for the quality of the cast, 2 Dec 2004
Mike Hodges' ninth directorial endeavour is an all-too-familiar observation of the criminal culture of the London underworld. 'I'll Sleep When I'm Dead' reunites the director with Clive Owen, who also starred in 'Croupier'. Owen plays Will Graham; a retired hard-man who appears to have successfully 'climbed out of the slime' and cut off all contact with his previous life. That is, until he discovers his coke-dealing younger brother, Davey (Jonathan Rhys-Myers) has committed suicide after being abducted and raped by a wealthy car dealer. Surrendering his newfound anonymity, Will re-enters the world he despises in order to uncover the mystery surrounding his brother's death, and to hunt down those responsible.The title appears to reflect Owen's portrayal of Will, a haunted, restless wanderer whose job is never done. His hypnotic characterisation could, perhaps, be mistaken for lack of emotion, yet it is clear that Will possesses a great inner turmoil that has been instilled in him by his dark past. Rhys-Myers' astounding interpretation of an abused Davey also contributes to the superb quality of the leading cast. This illustrates that 'I'll Sleep When I'm Dead' is not your average brainless Brit-gangster film, and instead is a terrifying insight into the corruption of the mind. Drawing on the valuable experience gained from his previous successes, 'Croupier' and 'Get Carter', Hodges has clearly enjoyed the chance to confidently play with a style and plot that offers such exciting possibilities. However, screenwriter Trevor Preston's rich and emotive script unfortunately appears less succinct than it was perhaps intended. An extremely promising start fizzles out into a collection of long-winded scenes that lack direction and could have been quicker and sharper. The film encapsulates the prelude to the taste of revenge, and when the finale does finally arrive it is a disappointing anti-climax. The film boils down to a bitter yet simple revenge tale, which fails to inspire and doesn't really lead anywhere. Revenge may be sweet enough for Will to taste, yet cannot bring his brother back because "the dead are dead". If this is designed to be the moral of the story it is arguably insufficient in keeping the audience riveted. Despite skilful direction and acting for the most part, audiences may feel let down by this film.
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