The films of British director Mike Hodges make their way Stateside
so infrequently you’d think his first offering since
1998’s career-reviving Croupier would be better than a rehash of
something he’s already done. But it’s easy to see why
he’d be attracted to I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead. The
film, starring Clive Owen, is a sort of existential take on his 1971
crime classic Get Carter. Both films revolve around a career criminal
who investigates the death of his brother. Get Carter starred Michael
Caine, looking criminally dashing with his tight facial features, long
trenchcoat and perfectly coiffed hair. I’ll Sleep When I’m
Dead stars Clive Owen as Will Graham, a formerly very bad man who
abandoned The Life three years earlier and now lives out of a trailer
looking disheveled and working as a lumberjack. When he disappeared,
Will left behind brother Davey, a mistress (Charlotte Rampling) and
any number of underworld bigwigs who’ve turned him into a
legend-in-absentia. Will is forced back to London after losing contact
with Davey (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers), a scummy little rat who sold
cocaine to models and other higher-paying clientele. Skulking around
the rain dappled streets of the city searching for Davey attracts the
attention of Boad (Malcolm McDowell) and Turner (Ken Stott), who
wonder what he’s up to, and his mistress, who wonders why he
disappeared. Will learns that Davey committed suicide, but when he
discovers why, we get a sense of what attracted Hodges to Trevor
Preston’s script.
Spoilers follow, so if you don’t
want to know what happened to Davey, skip to the next paragraph.
Davey’s rape at the hands of Boad runs counter to the machismo
that people like Will and Turner covet like currency. Although Davey
certainly deserved a horrible fate, being raped by a man became an
unlivable burden to the lads at the pub and the criminal types he
interacts with. That Davey ejaculated while being raped, as
involuntary as it might be, further humiliates the dead man and
forever sullies what passes for his legacy. Will not only wants to
avenge his brother, but somehow reclaim a bit of Davey’s pride.
Except for a man avenging his brother’s death, there is
no nobility to be found here: everyone has a layer of filth attached
to him, even Will, who finds the filth harder to clean off than he
thought. Hodges gives all this a minor key feel. Will is single-minded
in his quest, but his intensity and his emotions stay locked up.
Everybody is always on-guard, as if poised for something to happen,
meaning nobody shows their hand or over-reacts. It makes the film a
slog for those not used to such storytelling. The first 15 minutes of
the movie is almost completely devoted to Davey, which may throw off
some viewers. Also, there is much left purposefully unsaid. Why
exactly did Will disappear? What exactly happed to his mistress?
Where is Will going at the end?
Clive Owen shows intelligent,
bug-eyed intensity as Will. Like Clint Eastwood’s The Man With
No Name, the quieter he is, the more powerful he becomes. His fists
are clenched inside. Owen has been earmarked for stardom for some time
but audiences didn’t look to I’ll Sleep When I’m
Dead for proof. It’s too small a film. If he becomes the next
James Bond, as is rumored, then domestic filmgoers will surely love
what he has to offer.
As for the film, Hodges gives us reason
to watch, but little reason to love. He’s trod this territory
before, albeit in less brooding fashion. But fans of the genre
who’ve not seen Get Carter (or are fans of Croupier) will get an
intriguing take on the male animal, as filtered through the rusty
keyhole of criminal behavior.
VIDEO: HOW DOES THE DVD
LOOK?
Paramount didn’t quite pull out all the
stops on their 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer. For a film that takes place
mostly at night, it’s got nothing to be ashamed of, but there
are still flaws that keep it from being perfect. Blacks are dark, but
there is a light layer of grain evident. Some low-light interiors were
soft and there is edge enhancement present. Colors in this hue-subdued
movie are generally very good. Contrast was well-realized and detail
was good. The print seemed spotless.
AUDIO: HOW DOES
THE DVD SOUND?
The Dolby Digital 5.1 gets the job
done. Mostly a front-speaker affair, the mix occasionally throws in a
door slam or line of dialogue from the sides, but that’s about
it. Thick accents and the mumbly nature of the brooding characters
keep some lines hard to discern. The lackluster score (quite a change
from the ultra-terrific score for Get Carter) is clean. The rears
don’t do much, except act as ambient fill. All in all, this is
not an active mix and no foundation is established for a decent
soundscape. But it’s all appropriate to the material.
The DVD also includes English subtitles.
SUPPLEMENTS: WHAT GOODIES ARE THERE?
Paramount was generous enough to throw in some trailers which no
one will watch. Actually, I don’t blame the studio for not
larding the DVD with extras. There’s no amount of supplements
that’ll make consumers buy a movie like this unless
they’re otherwise predisposed.
DVD-ROM
EXCLUSIVES: WHAT DO YOU GET WHEN YOU POP THE DISC IN YOUR PC?
No ROM supplements have been included.
PARTING THOUGHTS
Fans of moody crime sagas
who don’t mind working for their answers will find I’ll
Sleep When I’m Dead a worthy rental. There are no extras to fill
out the experience, so it’s not a recommended purchase for those
unfamiliar with Mike Hodges or the genre of British crime.
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