If one looks at each British gangster film as a cup of tea, Mike Hodges's I'll Sleep When I'm Dead is the stale leaves left at the bottom, void of any kind of robustness. I don't mean that in a bad way, as it's a very well made film, but it's also bleak, bitter and populated by characters whose lives have derailed into ditches branching off from what their lives used to be. A shaggy, unkempt Clive Owen plays Will Graham, a former gangster who has relegated himself into obscurity, dwelling in a caravan situated in a rural forest, and peeing into milk jugs. For whatever reason, he's a ghost of his former self and would have it remain that way. Life (and the necessities of plot) has a funny way of turning plans on their head, though. Will has a brash, cocky younger brother (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), an upstart hoodlum who peddles pharmaceuticals at shitty nite clubs and fancies himself top dog. One night he's kidnapped, sodomizes (yes you read that right) and set free, after which, consumed by the trauma, he takes his own life. The perpetrator is a shady automobile tycoon named Boad (Malcolm McDowell) whose reasons for such a nasty and frankly odd act aren't revealed till the third act. Will forced out of recluse and heads to London to rendezvous with his former pal (Jamie Foreman) as well as an old acquaintance (Charlotte Rampling). Owen brings a tired, worn out presence that sometimes flares up with the violent resolve his character no doubt used to have. McDowell steals the show in a role that's really a tough one to get your head around, for both audience and actor. He's actor twisted guy who has committed a heinous act, and Malcolm is kind of a go to guy for creeps and villains. And yet.. in the blistering final confrontation, he lucidly lays down his logic with unnerving gravitas, sticking it to anyone that was expecting his performance to fall back on perverse theatrics (this ain't no clockwork orange). It's and wonderful final scene given the time to breathe and play out before the inevitable violence happens. As far as crime films go, this one trades in energy and attitude for a frayed narrative in which the lines of good and evil are slightly maimed to shed light on humans with the capacity for both in equal measures, and often all at once.

The movie was worth watching. Good acting across the board. The plot Was excellent. The ending was different.Clive Owens performs a metamorphosis in appearances in this movie. Clive Owens gives an outstanding performance, but is ruined by the script.Great supporting actors.I enjoyed the movie, but was a disappointment. One discouraging aspect of the movie was that it painted London as a dreary crime corrupted town.Nice display of fancy European cars.Malcolm McDowel plays a really grimy criminal.

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead is a crime film directed by Mike Hodges that is from a screenplay written by Trevor Preston. The movie features a man that return to their former hometowns to investigate the death of a brother that has died under mysterious circumstances and plot a revenge to those who were responsible.It stars Clive Owen,Jonathan Rhys- Meyers,Malcolm McDowell and Charlotte Rampling.Will Graham is a former London gangster who moved out to the country after suffering a breakdown of some sort. He works clearing forests, and lives out of his van, until he loses his job over a lack of proper documentation. Meanwhile, Will's younger brother, Davey, is enjoying his life as a womanizing man about town, and dabbling in drug dealing, until one night, when an older man, Boad has him followed and brutally assaults him. The traumatized Davey returns home and takes his own life. Will, uncertain as to where to go, finds himself drawn back to London, where he learns of Davey's death from Mrs. Barz, his landlady. Will investigates what happened that night with his old friend, Mickser. As Will tries to piece together what happened, he goes to visit Helen, his former lover, who is less than thrilled to see him after he abandoned her years earlier and eventually cut off all contact. The current neighborhood crime boss,Turner, knows what Will is capable of, and sees him as a threat. Eventually, Will uncovers the truth, and is faced with the unpleasant prospect of avenging Davey's death.This is another type of revenge film for it presents dark themes that might not be suitable to everyone.I may not expect everyone to like this film.But nevertheless,one cannot help but credit the cast for a wonderful performance particularly Owen and Rampling.Overall,it is a good, tight, well-made piece of filmmaking for it is a true representation of gangster movies that is unnerving that is yet completely sure of every step it takes.

This film is a bit like a cheap cowboy book. You know the type I mean. The protagonist discovers his sister has been raped and it takes the whole book for him to find the perpetrator and exercise brutal justice. All very raw and predictable . This has a slight twist in that the cowboy is modern day ex villain, and he has a brother rather than a sister who is raped by a man. The raped brother does a Roman bath thing and there are some grizzly explanations for this.The film then pretends to be moody and at the same time slowly tries to develop character. It fails to do this and all the characters are just as superficial at the end as when they started out. In addition, the whole film lacks pace. The only thing that kept my interest was that I kept asking 'why' throughout and eventually the answers were not very satisfactory. The plot was as I predicted.Having said that the DVD cost me a mere £1 brand new - so I can't complain too much.