When Roy Freeman (Russell Crowe) wakes up in the morning, he’s in a house filled with notes and illustrations explaining each room. His head is bandaged, and he suffers more pain and agony when trying to recall aspects of his past. When he enters his bathroom, he finds a note reminding him that he has Alzheimer’s. As Roy dresses and prepares for his day, he has faint memories of the past, showing the audience that he took part in an experimental procedure. This procedure used electrodes to target areas of his brain, hoping that new pathways would develop and memories might return. However, given Roy’s past with substance abuse, the results of the treatment vary.
Soon, Roy receives a phone call from a woman named Emily Dietz (Kelly Greyson), who would like to speak with Roy about one of his old cases at a local cafe. Roy agrees but is naturally quite suspicious. Emily discusses with Roy a man named Isaac Samuel (Pacharo Mzembe), who is a convicted criminal with an upcoming execution. Roy was a leading detective who interrogated Samuel before he was put away behind bars. Now, Samuel is requesting to meet with Roy; however, Roy doesn’t recall anything about the case. Roy continues to ponder and decides to dig up the past, looking at various case files that he kept in his apartment. For the sake of curiosity, Roy even agrees to meet with Samuel, who begs Roy to make things right as Samuel didn’t commit murder. He even gives Roy a new lead. Given his Alzheimer’s, Roy’s investigation feels new and fresh. Roy will now raise questions, meet with various suspects and revisit integral evidence to try and find out the truth before Samuel’s execution.
Sleeping Dogs is a thriller and mystery with a similar vibe to Memento (2000). Not only is the murderer’s identity a mystery, but aspects surrounding Roy’s past are also unclear and mysterious. Sleeping Dogs is the directorial debut of Adam Cooper, one of the film’s writers. While this is Adam’s first directorial debut, he has multiple writing credits for various past films, including The Transporter Refuelled, Assassin’s Creed, and Allegiant.
Just as we’ve seen in past films, Russell Crowe once again gives an enjoyable performance and commits to the role. He is easily the most engaging and pleasing factor of the film. The mystery also made me curious and invested. As Roy travels around and investigates further, the suspect list grows, and elements of Roy’s past become more mysterious. The strange hallucinations that also occur in Roy’s mind help add to the mystery. However, while actor Russell Crowe gives a more commendable performance than the remainder of the cast, side performances are certainly weaker. This includes actress Karen Gillian as Laura, who seems uncomfortable and unnatural, which I found quite saddening.
The film’s start is engaging, and the conclusion successfully answered my many questions; however, some results may have audiences rolling their eyes. Some moments in Sleeping Dogs feel uninteresting or drag on, such as when we go back in time while Roy is revisiting files. Sadly, during these segments, Roy is taken off-screen for a lengthy duration, making the film less enjoyable and reducing the quality and excitement of the story. These flashbacks were easily the most disappointing aspect of the film and the most challenging to sit through. The music score for the vast majority was also a major misfire for me. At times, I found it overbearing, unfitting and too loud, especially during dramatic dialogue.
Overall, with a similar vibe to Memento (2000), Sleeping Dogs introduces a compelling mystery. Once again, Russell Crowe is easily the film’s best aspect with his performance and commitment to the role. Sadly, the performance from actress Karen Gillian truly disappointed me as she felt unfitting and unnatural in her role and ultimately was distracting. While the pacing starts well, some subplots and backstories damage the end results, making the story less engaging and uninteresting. Sure, the film successfully concluded and gave me answers and closure, but it was impossible for my eyes not to roll, given the familiarity of these answers.
4.3/10
28th July 2024
Written by Peter Walkden
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