Vincent Downs (Jamie Foxx) is a cop working in Las Vegas who appears to be corrupt after stealing a consignment of cocaine with his partner Sean (T.I.).
As a result he has Internal Affairs on his tail in the shape of Detective Bryant (Michelle Monaghan), as well as two sets of crooks, casino boss Rubino (Dermot Mulroney) and sadistic Novak (Scoot McNairy). The majority of the film is set in Rubino’s casino as Vincent tries to get the drugs to Rubino in exchange for his kidnapped son.
The most surprising thing about Sleepless is that it is a remake of a recent French film (Sleepless Night, 2011) as the film reeks of a 1980s Hollywood cop thriller, with the necessary clichés present and correct. The hero has a messed-up personal life and gets a serious injury which hampers him when the plot requires but doesn’t stop him getting involved in brutal fights.
There is a family member in peril and police partners who turn out to be working for the bad guys. Furthermore, with the film set almost entirely in the hotel and casino, you just know there are going to be people crawling through the air vents, fights in the kitchen using the equipment available there, and scenes in a noisy nightclub with scantily clad dancers that the camera lingers over.
Despite so much of it being very predictable, I have to say I found Sleepless very enjoyable. Director Baran bo Odar brings a frantic energy to the action scenes and delivers one genuine jump out of your seat moment when Vincent’s son is kidnapped. Michelle Monaghan rises above the material and I would be happy to see her character back and starring in the hinted sequel.
As well as the action set pieces there are a few chuckles along the way. Some of them are intentional but my favourite was an ‘only in America’ moment when Vincent’s estranged wife, a nurse, leaves her shift to try and find her son, stopping to take a gun out of the glove compartment as if she does that every day!
In a year when we have had a lot of award baiting films that have been a little dull, Sleepless acts as a decent palate cleanser.
Rating: 7 out of 10