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Retribution


SLEEPERS is a legal thriller drama that tells the account of four boys from New York City's Hell's Kitchen. In the process of committing petty theft, the boys commit a prank that goes horribly wrong, severely injuring a man. As punishment, the boys are tossed into detention hall, where they are brutalized, assaulted and sexually abused by the guards.

Over a decade later, the two of the quartet who have turned to a life of crime encounter one of their former tormentors and have the opportunity for payback. As the ringleader of the detention hall guards, Kevin Bacon is at his absolute creepiest as the deeply disturbing Sean Nokes. He is pivotal to the four boys’ descent into hell and submission into his evil persona. In the bar scene where he meets his demise sets the wheels in motion for the payback.

Stellar performance by Jason Patric, Brad Pitt, Billy Cudrup, Ron Eldard, Kevin Bacon, Minnie Driver, Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman in this 1996 flix which displayed Barry Levinson's versatility in film making. This is one of several films that I can watch time after time and still be highly engaged.




On a separate note, societies can talk about the concept of retribution. Why does the murder of Sean Nokes seem justified? Is it? Why are some of the characters able to move forward with their lives while others seem to be destroyed by their abuse? How does the characters' socioeconomic position figure into this punishment, if at all? 


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