Sleeping Dogs

Trailer—Sleeping Dogs

source: Sleeping Dogs

Sleeping Dogs

Sam Neill stars, in his 2nd feature film, as Smith, a man who leaves his family when his wife takes up with another man, and moves to an island where he is the only resident. While he's on the island, political turmoil in New Zealand worsens and a form of martial law is declared. Smith is framed as a terrorist and arrested. Facing certain execution, he escapes and goes on the run, eventually hooking up with Bullen (Ian Mune), the man who had stolen his wife. This is the first feature made in New Zealand that received international distribution, and it's readily apparent why. Neill is a magnetic screen presence, and the film has the ramshackle appeal of the best small action films of the 70's. Warren Oates even appears in a small role as a US army officer.

Interesting film I stumbled across that has an interesting plot of state totalitarianism during a fictional revolution in New Zealand after an oil embargo on the country. Stuck in the middle of these events and inadvertently drawn into them is Smith played by Sam Neill in his debut film appearance. He begins the film estranged from his family life when his wife has an extramarital affair with 'Bullen' (Ian Mune) who later becomes the leader of the underground guerrilla movement in the country beset by a civil war that even involves the U.S. army. Showcasing the breathtaking scenery of New Zealand it is unbelievably the first major feature from the country that went on to be the backdrop of major films such as The Lord Of The Rings films. Director Roger Donaldson brings a thrilling film to international audiences launching the New Zealand film industry in the process. As for Neill (and Donaldson) Hollywood beckoned.

Today I finally got a DVD of "Sleeping Dogs" and got to watch it in a wide-screen version for the first time. As a big fan of Warren Oates, I was first interested in this film because of his character. His film "Dillinger" is frequently mentioned, and I also recall his excellent work in "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia", "Black Thunder" and "Badlands". In "Sleeping Dogs", it's impossible to ignore Sam Neill as he struggles to survive forces outside his control. I don't know if it's his first film or not, however it's the first one I recall ever seeing him. Coincidentally, I'm also watching the new DVD release of "Max Headroom", and it's hard to keep the two films from intermixing. Repressive governments, random violence, all the things that make films like both of these fun to watch again and again. In this genre, I would also add "Brazil". "1984" goes without saying.

Good and even excellent first movie from director Roger Donaldson, from New Zealand, who will later go and proceed his career to Hollywood, as Lee Tamahori. I was surprised to see here Warren Oates in this amazing movie, very violent and gloomy. I don't think we could have found such a topic in Europe or even the USA at this time. It denounces political extremist measures and facist parties ready to take power. The most important is the Sam Neill - young Sam Neill - character, an ordinary man, as you and me, who gets involved in chaos, a total nightmare that will eventually destroy him. I like this anti Hollywoodian movie, despite the fact that the director was still a bit clumsy in his skills to make this interesting feature.

I was slightly confused by the content of this movie. From what I gathered, Sam Neill's character was a family man whose wife had an affair, and he was then mistaken for a guerrilla. There was plenty of guerrilla warfare on the streets who were trying to protest something. I couldn't quite gather what it was. There were plenty of shoot-em-up scenes on the streets and in the wilderness when Neil was trying to escape and clear his name. Other than that, I thought the movie was decent. The scene where he was imprisoned in a dank jail cell was harrowing and unforgettable, and I loved the part where he vomits on the guards to escape from the transport car. I sort of liked the movie and might recommend it. ** 1/2 out of ****

Apparently, this was Sam Neill's second outing. I have no idea what was his first, but this one grabs you and doesn't let go. The fact that it was Roger Donaldson's debut probably helps. At the time, Australian cinema was in a golden age. The poor cousins over the Tasman decided to emulate them. Like Australia, the only way the Yarts could destroy the government was with government funding. This dystopic story of the fascist Muldoon government was largely funded by Robert 'Piggy' Muldoon!

This film is a chilling view of how New Zealand could be if ruled by a totalitarian oppressive Government, like so many other countries around the world. It focuses primarily on one character named Smith (played by the now famous Sam Neil). The direction is excellect thanks to the talents of Roger Donaldson (Dantes Peak). But if you read those names and expect a big budget, action-packed, thriller your out of luck, it was made back in 1977 when they were starving artists. This may not appeal to those unfamiliar with New Zealand, but its worth a look if you like well scripted well acted emotional movies