• Release year: 2024
• Director: Adam Cooper.
• Producers: Bill Collage, Adam Cooper, Mark Fasano, Deborah Glover, Arun Kumar, Pouya Shahbazian, Henry Winterstern.
• Screenplay by: Adam Cooper and Bill Collage.
• Cinematography by: Ben Nott.
• Music by: David Hirschfelder.

Shotgun Commentary: incredibly predictable, but gripping nonetheless thanks to Russell Crowe’s performance.

Review

Sleeping Dogs is a pretty obvious, Memento-style thriller. In it, an ex-cop battling Alzheimer’s decides to investigate an old case, not entirely convinced about its resolution. If experience with previous films of the kind aren’t enough, the title is a big clue. The expression “let sleeping dogs lie” incredibly fitting for both the characters attitudes in the story and its outcome.

This tale of discovery, conspiracies and betrayal is not new to the genre. More often than not, main characters with a severe loss of memory (amnesia, Alzheimer’s, etc.) who get tangled in a mystery of the past, tend to discover the exact same thing. As such, the resolution of this film is anything but imaginative or original. Don’t worry, nothing will be spoiled in this review. Suffice to say, the build up is miles better than the actual answer to the riddle.

Do you cut your own food?

This writer’s disdain for films with titles separating each bit of the narrative has been made abundantly clear in previous reviews. Still, Sleeping Dogs is a rare example where this technique is actually useful and coherent with the narrative. Instead of letting you know when the introduction, climax, and conclusion are taking place, the titles divide the narrative in people, characters relevant to the case.

The protagonist, Roy Freeman (Russell Crowe) finds and connects the pieces of his case much like he did the pieces of a puzzle at the beginning of the feature. The story seems to follow this initial comparison until the very end, when he places the final piece of the puzzle at the same time as he finally resolves the enigma completely.

As such, each character is introduced by a title in tape with their name on it. And each section represents a different part of the puzzle. One provides the corners, another the edges, another the darker tones… Each of them provide bits and bobs that end up linked when enough information is revealed.

The narrative jumps from the present to the past at random. This makes each part look more like the small details that form a puzzle rather than a succession of events. This key distinction is what separates these titles in particular from all the other titles made to condescend their audience.

A nasty job

In addition to the narrative, Sleeping Dogs also bears a great semblance to another cinema classic in its aesthetics: Se7en (2000). The predominance of washout colours, most of them part of the greyscale, plus the depressing greens and browns that accompany these neutral tones, make the story look like a parallel detective story to the one protagonised by Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman.

A “same precinct, different cops” type of sequel that has been created completely independent to the original. With nothing in common other than the grimy colour palette that washes this ex-cop’s life like it washed the Se7en’s partners’ existence.

The players

Lastly, it is important to address the big question that might arise from this review. If you could see the answer coming a mile away, why do you like the film at all?

Well, the answer is simple: Russell Crowe and Tommy Flanagan. Ex-cop and partner, respectively, they both deliver amazing characters. It is hard to know where you stand with them, despite their obvious shadiness. This contradiction makes the film all the more compelling.

As for Karen Gillian, her performance as Laura Baines is sadly unfortunate. While you won’t see this writer criticise Gillian very often, this time she looks incredibly uncomfortable, her facial gestures are tight and a bit exaggerated, making her look like the comic relief her character is not. This is not only confusing, but detrimental for the atmosphere of the story.

All in all, Sleeping Dogs is a predictable thriller with uneven acting and a secondary storyline that never really gets resolved. The relationships between characters and memory loss is never explored as deeply as one expects, which is a bit of a let-down, but it is still a pretty entertaining watch for any crime-cinema lovers.

Thanks to Signature Entertainment for the early access! Sleeping Dogs will be available in the UK on Digital Platforms the 23rd of December and on DVD the 24th (available to pre-order on Amazon now).

Advice to take from this movie:

• The truth might not always be comfortable, but it is necessary.
• Forgetting is not the answer to solving trauma, confronting it is.
• Don’t sign confessions to things you haven’t done, ask for a lawyer first, maybe?

What’s your take? Have you watched Sleeping Dogs? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀