Rent Light Sleeper (1992)
3.4 of 5 from 116 ratings
1h 39min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- John LeTour (Willem Dafoe) is loyal, decent, lumbering-a 40-year-old drug runner who suffers from insomnia but seems to be sleep-walking through life in Light Sleeper. When John's boss, the bubbly but sharp-witted Ann (Susan Sarandon), decides to retire, John must rethink his life's path. But breaking out of the life he's led will take some doing, especially after coming into contact with his ex-girlfriend (Dana Delkany), a recovering drug addict, and becoming embroiled in a mysterious murder.
- Actors:
- Willem Dafoe, Susan Sarandon, Dana Delany, David Clennon, Mary Beth Hurt, Victor Garber, Jane Adams, Paul Jabara, Robert Cicchini, Sam Rockwell, Rene Rivera, David Spade, Steven Posen, Ken Ladd, Brian Judge, Vince Cupone, Chris Northup, Paul Stocker, Bernadette Jurkowski, Tatiana von Furstenberg
- Directors:
- Paul Schrader
- Producers:
- Linda Reisman
- Writers:
- Paul Schrader
- Studio:
- Momentum
- Genres:
- Drama
- Collections:
- All the Twos: 1972-2012, Getting to Know..., Getting to Know: Susan Sarandon, A Brief History of Film..., Top 10 Golden Bear Winners
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 25/01/2021
- Run Time:
- 103 minutes
- Languages:
- English LPCM Mono
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Audio commentary with writer and director Paul Schrader (2002)
- Selected scenes commentary with actors Willem Dafoe and Susan Sarandon (2002, 18 mins)
- The Guardian Interview with Willem Dafoe (1998, 66 mins): archival audio recording of the actor in conversation with critic Jonathan Romney, recorded at London's National Film Theatre
- The Midlife Movie (2021, 18 mins): Paul Schrader remembers the production of 'Light Sleeper'
- The BAM Interview with Ed Lachman and Paul Schrader (2008, 31 mins): the cinematographer and director in conversation on-stage at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York, after a screening of 'Light Sleeper'
- Dear Paul Schrader, Thank You for 'Light Sleeper' (2021, 11 mins): a personal meditation on Schrader's film from the critic and filmmaker Mark Cousins
- Original theatrical trailer
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials
- UK premiere on Blu-ray
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Reviews (1) of Light Sleeper
Willem Dafoe's finest lead performance - Light Sleeper review by AER
Comparisons to American Gigolo and Taxi Driver are probably inevitable given that this was also written by director Paul Schrader, however this is more thoughtful and ultimately more human than the former. Detailing an impasse with his routines and the coming-of-age of a drug courier called John Le Tour, we get to know his lonely world and his attempts to connect with those around him. It's a deep film that is very of its time. The soundtrack works as a third narrative strand but it simultaneously pins it that early 90s period of the 80s comedown from excess. Willem Dafoe has never been better in a lead-role to my knowledge and all the female lead roles are strong too, Dana Delaney (where is she now>?) and Susan Sarandon are amazing. This can be seen as a film about luck and the spirit, about time running out and our options as we get older. It's universal. The hopeful ending is perhaps the sweetest you'll ever see in a crime film. Full marks.
3 out of 4 members found this review helpful.