Movies

A drug runner searchers for redemption in a life that only has a past and present with no future in sight. Top performance from Willem and a clever characterisation from Saradon. The dialogue fits in perfectly while the music sets the mood right.

Having been a Willem Dafoe fan for several years, I was more than pleasantly surprised to see his amazing performance in this film. There were some priceless moments in which Dafoe made the art of acting appear effortless. This is pure joy for a film fan. Sarandon was superb in a role which I think was a departure for her. Still, she brought intelligence, command, and a delightful wackiness to Ann. I disliked the score so much that I basically ignored it. The presence of these two commanding actors, Dafoe and Sarandon, plus other notables in the cast, convinced me that this will be a film I'll watch again and again, if only to see Dafoe's toothy smile!

Being familiar with Schrader's scripts for films he didn't direct, I took the $5 bin chance on "Light Sleeper". Well, I must say I am impressed, and it is easy here to identify themes in other work by Schrader. Principly what I see is Schrader is fixated with how a person's past can be an emotional trap for them in the present and future. Willem Dafoe's performance is brilliant, and is characterised by his desire to end his drug dealing days, yet not knowing how to break out of the cycle. That is all he knows to do, and it will take a great tradgedy to force him to act. It is easy to draw superficial connections between this film and "Taxi Driver", yet for me it is the insistance on slowly following Dafoe as he attempts to correct his life that is a powerful film experience. 8/10.