Sleepless
Director: Baran Bo Odar
Actors: Jamie Foxx, Dermot Mulroney, Michelle Monaghan, David Harbour
Release Date: Friday 12th May 2017
Genre(s): Action, Thriller
Running time: 95 minutes
The film opens with Vincent Downs' Foxx and his Las Vegas PD partner (T.I.) robbing a heap of drugs. Naturally enough with these things, the drugs belong to proper wrong sort crime boss Novak (Scoot McNairy), who had bought them from Casino owner Rubino (Dermot Mulroney). When Rubino finds out who pinched the drugs, he sends his goons to stab Downs and kidnap his son - fearful of Novak finding out what's going on. As if our hero didn't have enough crap to deal with, Internal Affairs cop Michelle Monaghan has a hunch about Downs and a chip on her shoulder.
Jamie Foxx has had a strange career; a seemingly endlessly talented Oscar winner who has worked with the best in the business (Michael Mann, Quentin Tarantino), he's never quite found that consistency in roles to propel him to that Leonardo DiCaprio/Will Smith league. Foxx probably realised this which is why he's headlining this pseudo-Taken, squarely pitched as a denser version of the Liam Neeson smash hit series.
A remake of successful Belgian flick, "Nuit blanche", Sleepless has a solid enough premise but was marketed like a John Wick clone, looking to capitalise on the obvious physicality of star, Jamie Foxx. In reality it desperately wants to be a lean cop thriller, with elements of action to keep the macho crowd happy - sadly it's a plodding affair. While helmer bo Odar utilises some stylish camera work, it's often obviously shot on a soundstage - particularly the car scenes. Shooting in Vegas clearly isn't cheap.
To be fair, this is a strong cast and Foxx can carry a film on his shoulders with ease, while Monaghan is another actor who's not on our screens enough lately. There's even solid part for Stranger Things star David Harbour. McNairy is also standout, as a violent crime boss, desperate to move back up the ladder.
A waste of a cracking cast, we'd love to see Jamie Foxx in something that uses his obvious talents and fledging action chops soon. This bombing at the box-office wouldn't have helped, mind.
