Daily Staff Writer

It’s quite an accomplishment to make a film with almost no suspense, but which is gripping nonetheless.

Sleepers is based on the controversial novel by Lorenzo Carcaterra. It’s controversial because Carcaterra claims that it’s a true story; but he refuses to name his sources, and the New York attorney’s office has no such record of a case like the one in the book. It goes something like this:

Lorenzo, Michael, Tommy and John are the best of pals, growing up in the crime-ridden Hell’s Kitchen section of New York City in the late 1960s.

The boys run pranks of epic proportion, and one goes horribly wrong.

They steal a hot dog vendor’s cart, which veers out of control and down a subway terminal’s entrance. It nearly kills a bystander, and the boys are sentenced to a year in Wilkinson, a notorious reformatory.

They are subjected to extreme brutality by guard Sean Nokes (Kevin Bacon).

Frightened into silence by Nokes and his cohorts, they stay quiet long after their release, they bury the beatings and sexual abuse.

Cut to 1981. Tommy (Billy Crudup) and John (Ron Eldard) have turned to a life of crime. They are in a bar one night when they happen upon Nokes. With little hesitation, they gun him down in public.

Michael has become a lawyer in the city attorney’s office. He has a plan to rig the case and get Tommy and John acquitted of the murder, and to exact a measure of revenge against the other guards.

Lorenzo (Jason Patric) is a journalist who helps feed information relevant to the case to all involved.

Sleepers has no conflict, no antagonist and protagonist to propel the plot. Instead, it has the feel of a very intimate documentary. The only suspense involves Father Bobby, and if he will take the stand and lie to acquit Tommy and John.

But director Barry Levinson (Rain Man) has crafted a fine actor’s film, one which derives all its power from its performances. The film is intense and involving due to its actors, all of whom turn in sterling performances.

The narrative focuses on and is narrated by Lorenzo, and Patric is outstanding in the role, portraying a haunted man who wants to get on with his life.

Pitt, Crudup and Eldard are also excellent in their smaller roles. Naturally, DeNiro and Hoffman are solid. And Bacon’s sadistic, bullying Nokes provides the film with a fine villain.

With a cast this great, it’s tough to miss. And technically Sleepers is superb, with excellent work in its cinematography and soundtrack.

But the lack of tension hurts the film.

The outcome is almost predestined. Does anyone actually think that the boys won’t be acquitted? However, it’s tough not to recommend a film that grips viewers as hard as Sleepers does.

Sleepers is rated R for language, graphic violence and scenes of abuse. It is not a film for children. It’s also long; it runs for 152 minutes.