Ah the corrupt cop narrative. A sub-genre with an impressive success rate, so often featuring a flawed antihero in the lead role, as we watch on as those employed to protect us, instead seek to destroy. This paves the way for Baran bo Odar’s unrelenting thriller Sleepless to thrive – and yet here’s a slice of contemporary cinema that adheres too stringently to the tropes of the genre at hand. Fast paced, certainly, but not actually going in any palpable direction.
Jamie Foxx plays the aforementioned cop Vincent Downs, patrolling the streets of Las Vegas, both preventing and committing crimes alongside his partner Sean (T.I.). The pair become unwittingly embroiled in the dark criminal underbelly of the Nevada city, after they steal some drugs – inadvertently doing so from a feared, notorious crime family, resulting in the unhinged Rob Novak (Scoot McNairy) getting mercilessly involved, as well as the affluent, uncompromising businessman Rubino (Dermot Mulroney). In a bid to get back what they feel is rightfully theirs, they take something that rightfully isn’t – abducting Vincent’s teenage son Thomas (Octavius J. Johnson). But here’s a father who will stop at nothing to get his son back unharmed – though he has Officer Bryant (Michelle Monaghan) on his tail, as she is tasked with uncovering the identity of the crooked coppers on the force.
Formulaic it may be, but in its defence Sleepless is an immersive thriller, epitomised in the camera work, as director bo Odar places the viewer in every fight scene, no matter how brutal it may be (matched by the unforgiving sound design as we hear every single punch land). To correspond with this approach, there’s a vital, playful edge to Sleepless, though as a result can be accused of becoming somewhat gimmicky in parts, such as when a fight breaks out in the kitchen and it seems every single utensil is used, not to mention the fact those engulfed in conflict appear to have opened a bag of flour and are covered in the stuff. On a more positive note, it’s encouraging that we have a film that not only has a predominantly black cast, but also features a strong-willed female hero in Bryant – and yet neither the race nor gender of the protagonists is used as a narrative device, it’s just the fact of the matter – which is how it should be.
The likes of Foxx and Monaghan do commendable jobs too, but aren’t exactly blessed with the most engaging screenplay to work with. What transpires is a film that features an A-list cast in what feels like a B-movie thriller, all too generic in its execution, and with so many plot holes, it’s hard to envisage this film doing little else but sinking.
Sleepless is released on May 5th.
