Mike Hodges’ masterful final film gets a fresh Blu-ray release.
The Production: 4/5
British director, screenwriter and producer Mike Hodges made only a handful of films over the course of his nearly four-decade career — his primary métier was television — but of the 11 feature films he helmed, three of them are unquestioned classics of British crime drama. The first, of course, is 1971’s searing, bleak Get Carter; the second is more of a slow burn (1998’s Croupier), while the third, 2003’s I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, Hodges’ final film completed before his 2002 death at the age of 90, is a hypnotic mixture of both prior peaks: Simmering until it explodes, and unremittingly grim.
Dead reteamed Hodges with his Croupier star Clive Owen, whose appearance in the prior film catapulted him to global stardom. Much like Michael Caine in Get Carter, Owen is a near-perfect avatar of implacable British violence, a handsome man capable of ugly things. Trevor Preston’s economical screenplay functions as a showcase primarily for the four main actors: Owen, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Charlotte Rampling and Malcolm McDowell. Meyers plays the role of Davey, hapless brother to Owen’s Will, a one-time enforcer in the underworld who has since taken to life in a caravan, drifting through various locations.
Davey takes his own life, and in returning home to bury him, Will discovers the reason for his death: Boad (a stomach-turning McDowell) and his vicious penchant for sexual assault. While trying to reconcile with one-time lover Helen (Rampling, underused), Will sets out to avenge his brother’s death, even as it requires him to once more bloody his hands.
The frank, brutal nature of Preston’s narrative and Hodges’ direct, unfussy handling of it may cause more sensitive viewers to flinch — the attack on Davey occurs barely 20 minutes in, setting in motion all that follows — but it’s this unvarnished presentation which helps elevate some of the pulpier impulses on display (so much of Dead can be summed up by Al Pacino’s immortal line from The Godfather, Part III: “Just when I thought I was out, they pulled me back in.”).
Still, the cast is uniformly excellent — Owen smolders convincingly, as Rhys Meyers takes what could’ve been a thankless, one-dimensional role and infuses heartbreaking pathos — and the film climaxes with a considerable echo of Get Carter’s own pat, pitch-black conclusion. Sometimes, justice is simply handed out with little fanfare. I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead is a phenomenal final film from a director who, while not often on the big screen, absolutely made the moments when he was count.
Video: 3.5/5
3D Rating: NA
The Kino Lorber Blu-ray release of I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead is quick on the heels of Imprint Films’ 2023 edition, which marked the film’s worldwide Blu-ray debut. What the Kino Lorber version has, which the Imprint release did not, is a brand new high-definition master, created from a 4K scan of the 35mm original camera negative.
Kino Lorber presents I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, which, despite the pedigree of the image source, is not immaculate. There are a fair number of speckles and fleeting print damage visible throughout — problematic given how much of the film takes place at night and/or in dimly lighted surroundings — as well as some consistent softness.
That said, there are moments where the image is vibrant and crisp, rendering facial or clothing details with remarkable clarity — it’s a bit disappointing Mike Garfath’s evocative cinematography doesn’t look a bit tighter or cleaner here, amplifying the grim noir mood.
Audio: 4/5
I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead is outfitted here with a DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, as well as a DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo soundtrack. Although there are moments where the surrounds are pressed into service (mostly to help expand the soundstage for Simon Fisher Turner’s score), this is a largely front channel-driven affair, reliant upon dialogue, which is presented free from distortion or drop-out. Optional English subtitles are also included.
Special Features: 4/5
The Kino Lorber Blu-ray preserves all existing supplements, including a commentary track from Hodges and Preston, as well as a behind-the-scenes featurette (27:02; DTS 2.0 stereo; 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen) and a pair of deleted scenes (2:06 and :32, respectively; DTS 2.0 stereo; 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen). The film’s theatrical trailer is included, as are trailers for Inside Man, Duplicity, Eastern Promises, In Bruges and Out of Sight.
Overall: 4/5
British director, screenwriter and producer Mike Hodges made only a handful of films over the course of his nearly four-decade career — his primary métier was television — but of the 11 feature films he helmed, three of them are unquestioned classics of British crime drama. The first, of course, is 1971’s searing, bleak Get Carter; the second is more of a slow burn (1998’s Croupier), while the third, 2003’s I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, Hodges’ final film completed before his 2002 death at the age of 90, is a hypnotic mixture of both prior peaks: Simmering until it explodes, and unremittingly grim.
Dead reteamed Hodges with his Croupier star Clive Owen, whose appearance in the prior film catapulted him to global stardom. Much like Michael Caine in Get Carter, Owen is a near-perfect avatar of implacable British violence, a handsome man capable of ugly things. I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead is a phenomenal final film from a director who, while not often on the big screen, absolutely made the moments when he was count.
The transfer here leaves just a bit to be desired, but after only being available on DVD in the United States, it’s worth finally having the film on Blu-ray for Region A fans. Highly recommended.
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