Sleepers (1996)
Director: Barry Levinson
Sometimes when I see how some cases are persecuted in this country, I wonder if they are some kind of arrangements between the prosecutors and defence so that the rich and famous stay immune from conviction. One does not have to look far to know the many cases that raise suspicion. Even the executive branch of the government does not mind appearing incompetent just to fulfil specific preset political agendas. All of it reminds me of a grand freak show put up by the powers-that-be for self-aggrandisement and stupefying the citizens at their own expense. Every day is a constant reminder of the 'you reap what you saw' adage. Yet 70 years of rule by a single party has created a kind of Stockholm Syndrome that people admire the very leaders that cheat them blind!
This 1996 film is based on Lorenzo Carcaterra's book. The author insists that the story is based on actual events, with the name of characters and places altered to protect the identity of the accused and victims. Despite extensive scrutiny into the records of similar cases that made it to the US Courts, nobody found any remotely resembling the story in this film. It features a lineup of many familiar faces, including Robert Ne Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Bacon and Brad Pitt.
In 1968, four boys living in Hell's Kitchen, a poor Irish-American neighbourhood in Manhattan, get into a reform school when their prank goes wrong, and they end up seriously injuring a man. During their 18-month incarceration in the school, they had to endure many life-changing physical, psychological and sexual abuses from the guards. Even though they did not report the crimes, they vowed to avenge later when the time was ripe.
The time came in 1981. Two of the four boys are now hard criminals, one an Assistant Public Prosecutor and another a journalist. One day, the criminals sighted one of the guards in a restaurant. They shoot him in cold blood.
When their case comes up in court, the prosecutor and journalist devise an elaborate plan to expose the rot in the correctional school system. The sweet smell of revenge came with a price, and it involved a priest lying under oath. The priest had to weigh between staying true to his profession as an upholder of truth and telling a white lie to uncover massive wrongdoings.
(PS. In Malaysia, in the mind of many of our holy men, the answer to the dilemma is quite a clear cut. Religion takes precedence over everything else. Doing the morally conscientious thing with humanity or upholding the truth does not arise. It is always about protecting the flock. Higher thinking is just too mentally challenging!)
Director: Barry Levinson
This 1996 film is based on Lorenzo Carcaterra's book. The author insists that the story is based on actual events, with the name of characters and places altered to protect the identity of the accused and victims. Despite extensive scrutiny into the records of similar cases that made it to the US Courts, nobody found any remotely resembling the story in this film. It features a lineup of many familiar faces, including Robert Ne Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Bacon and Brad Pitt.
When their case comes up in court, the prosecutor and journalist devise an elaborate plan to expose the rot in the correctional school system. The sweet smell of revenge came with a price, and it involved a priest lying under oath. The priest had to weigh between staying true to his profession as an upholder of truth and telling a white lie to uncover massive wrongdoings.
(PS. In Malaysia, in the mind of many of our holy men, the answer to the dilemma is quite a clear cut. Religion takes precedence over everything else. Doing the morally conscientious thing with humanity or upholding the truth does not arise. It is always about protecting the flock. Higher thinking is just too mentally challenging!)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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