Sleeping Dogs Review
This middling, ambling cold case thriller apes Memento, without ever really coming close to being compelling viewing.
Roy Freeman (Russell Crowe) is an ex-homicide detective who is suffering from Alzheimers. With his memories all but gone, he is surprised to get a call from a man on death row; an inmate he put away, who wants to speak with him before he dies. This man protests his innocence, and sets Freeman on a course to uncover who really killed Dr Joseph Wieder (Marton Csokas).
Sleeping Dogs is the directorial debut of Adam Cooper; the man who wrote the Assassin’s Creed film, which is not a strong recommendation. The film has an undoubtedly low budget feel to it; lot’s of close-ups and tight shots, commercial-esque lighting in many of the interiors (particularly in an odd bar montage about an hour and twenty minutes in), and some prosthetics that are not all that realistic.
Russell Crowe - who is far and away the best thing in this movie - continues a streak of strangely low budget performances, but gives quite an interesting one at that as the memory loss stricken ex-detective. Crowe could convincingly play a paper bag, and his magnetism is on full display here despite the lackluster plot. Without Crowe, this film might have been a challenge to watch.
Karen Gillan gives an emotionally muted performance, completely one note. She struggles through some of the atrocious dialogue, and it really grates. The rest of the cast make little enough impression.
The biggest issue with this film is how closely the concept mimics Christopher Nolan’s fantastic Memento. The comparison hits you right from the off, and probably does this movie a bit of a disservice because there is no way it could come close to that masterpiece. Unfortunately, the eventual crime is not complex or interesting enough to justify the lengthy runtime, and the dialogue throughout is straight up cringeworthy. It leads to an unsatisfying viewing experience, but one that isn’t without its individual charms; most of which come from Crowe.
