Light Sleeper (1992) (Film Review)

Light Sleeper (1992) Willem Defoe and Susan Sarandon crime thriller directed by Paul Schrader.

No, I didn’t really like this film! That was probably to set me straight, because I often say that films from the 90s are a sure thing. But of course there are plenty of exceptions. It’s a long, slow film that I really struggled to get into. I’ve never been a fan of films about drug dealers, drugs and trafficking of all kinds. This is a film I only watched for the actors. And I’m happy about that.

Willem Dafoe is the only actor in this film whose name I can’t remember. This actor has played so many things. He played Jesus, he was in American Psycho, Platoon, Spider-Man, Antichrist. He’s been in some of the worst films and some of the best. Unpredictable, yet true to himself. He’s not afraid of nudity, of being made up to be deformed, of wearing all sorts of costumes. A great actor. His charisma is at its best here.

I know Susan Sarandon from The Witches of Eastwick, which I saw long before Rocky Horror Picture Show. Same as Willem: she’s always perfect, but her films leave something to be desired. That said, her strong and unforgettable roles remain Thelma & Louise, Stepmom, The Calling, The Client… She has completely lost her way in recent years with Blue Beetle and The Jesus Rolls, both of which were disastrous.

Dana Delany!!! What a surprise! She was one of my favourite people on Desperate Housewives and I also love her series Body of Proof. But apart from that, I didn’t know her. Given that in these two series, she had exactly the same head, haircut, hair colour, I deduced that she was one of those who didn’t change too much. What a mistake! What’s more, I didn’t recognise her here. When I found out in the credits that it was her, I had to re-watch her scenes because I was so blown away. I really adore her and I’m glad she’s surprised me again.

Sam Rockwell was originally the one I wanted to see in this film. But we only see him for five minutes! What a shame.I didn’t know he’d been acting for so long. Here, he’s really a good-looking guy. Far from all the awful characters he played later. I discovered him in Green Line before jumping on Charlie’s Angels. Mythical actor!I love him more and more.

And finally, Victor Garber is a Canadian actor born on 16 March 1949 in London, Ontario. I discovered him in a superhero series, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. I’m very keen to see Dark Waters, the 2019 film starring Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins and Bill Pullman. Yes, because there are lots of films called that, apparently. I really liked ‘Ideal Plan’, also known as ‘The Entitled’. And I had no idea that this actor had been seen on screen since 1973. There’s a misconception that some actors appear when they’re already old, but for the most part, they’ve had quite a career (like the other 5 on this list). Victor has also been a folk singer and stage actor, but he keeps his private life well protected.

And that’s it! A nice little film to see for its actors, but it’s neither worth seeing again, nor owning, nor even really recommending, basically.

My Rating