SLEEPING DOGS -- Russell Crowe’s Memory Loss Thriller Is Poorly Written, but Fun

Review by Cole Groth

Why do aging actors insist on taking roles in bizarre crime/thrillers? Russell Crowe’s talents have been sorely wasted in films like Sleeping Dogs because he’s a fun actor turned exceptionally boring when constrained to something like this. Despite a few interesting twists and turns, this is one of those films that will generally go unnoticed and ultimately forgotten in almost no time.

Sleeping Dogs follows Roy Freeman, a retired policeman struggling with Alzheimer’s. After new information cracks open a cold case threatening to send a man to death row, Roy goes on a mind-bending journey to figure out who the true killer is. Along the way, he discovers that his past is not all he remembered, bringing a mysterious woman (Karen Gillan) into the case with him.

Sleeping Dogs is the type of movie that puts an overbearing orchestral score of an alcoholic downing a bottle of vodka at a bar to show him reverting to his whole way. It’s never subtle when it should be; surprisingly, it is coy when explaining the stuff that matters. The complicated parts are dumb and remarkably simple, but every seemingly ordinary scene is hard to follow. The dialogue is over the top and rarely believable. For some odd reason, the opening premise of the film — a death row inmate trying to get the case reopened to save his life — is forgotten for almost the entire movie. For most of the runtime, it almost feels like the film will end without mentioning it.

It’s unsurprising and unfortunate that the acting isn’t very good here. Crowe is doing his best against a weak script but can only hold his own so well before it all falls apart. The cast surrounding him all have an overacting problem. Not much blame can be put on the actors when the script’s weakness holds them back from being good. Karen Gillan sounds like she’s ADR-ed in for every scene. Tomy Flanagan is this obnoxiously crooked-sounding cop, and Marton Csokas plays an uncanny valley-looking combination between Russell Crowe and Kevin Spacey as the lead villain.

What Sleeping Dogs may lack in writing quality, it makes up for with thrills. The twists and turns keep the two-hour runtime feel shorter, and sometimes it’s so ridiculous that it wraps around to being a little genius. It often feels like the screenplay was written quicker than the writer’s brains were going, with both writers frantically speaking over each other to get to the next big twist.

For fans of noir thrillers, Sleeping Dogs could be a hit. Russell Crowe is convincing as the forgetful detective with a sinister past, and it’s an exciting ride to the end. With a weak script, confusing editing, and weak acting, this winds up like every other crime/thriller with an aging actor: stupid, over-the-top, and somewhat mean-spirited. It’s not a great watch, but it’s at least provocative.

Sleeping Dogs releases in theaters starting March 22.

Rating: 2/5