I'll Sleep When I'm Dead poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Clive Owen, Charlotte Rampling, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Malcolm McDowell, Jamie Foreman ... see more see more... , Ken Stott , Sylvia Syms , Geoff Ball , Desmond Baylis , Kirris Riviere , Brian Croucher , Ross Boatman , Marc O'Shea , Alexander Morton , Noel Clarke

For I'll Sleep When I'm Dead, director Mike Hodges re-teams with Trevor Preston, the respected British television writer with whom he made a series of documentaries for ITV back in the 1960s. The film... read more read more... also brings the director together again with actor Clive Owen, the star of his previous film, Croupier, which signaled Hodges' resurgence. Owen plays Will Graham, a former London gangster who moved out to the country after suffering a breakdown of some sort. Will 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 (Malcolm McDowell), 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 (Sylvia Syms), his landlady. Will investigates what happened that night with his old friend, Mickser (Jamie Foreman). As Will tries to piece together what happened, he goes to visit Helen (Charlotte Rampling), 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 (Ken Stott), 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. Screenwriter Preston took the title for the film from a sardonic song by the late Warren Zevon. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Flixster Users

37% liked it

7,789 ratings

Critics

43% liked it

86 critics

R, 1 hr. 24 min.

Directed by: Mike Hodges

Release Date: February 18, 2004

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: November 16, 2004

Get It:

Stats: 530 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead I'll Sleep When I'm Dead I'll Sleep When I'm Dead I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
Upload a Photo | View All I'll Sleep When I'm Dead Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (530)

  • LWOODS04
    March 14, 2010
    LWOODS04
    Clive Owen, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Brian Croucher, Charlotte Rampling, Malcolm McDowell, Marc O'Shea, Damian Dibben

    DIRECTED BY: Mike Hodges

    It doesn't really matter what this film was about. All I know is that it not only had Clive Owen in it but it also had Jonathan Rhys M... read moreeyers in it and it still couldn't keep me interested. It was by far the most boring thriller I have ever seen, maybe the only. This is what I would call a sleepy thriller. I did shut my eyes a couple times and didn't even miss a thing. Just very disappointed. I had wanted to see this and the trailer made it look like it would be a decent thriller. Lies.. LOL.. Also the actress Charlotte Rampling plays Owens past love interest. Is it just me or did she seem a bit old for the part? I had thought she was their mother.. My mistake I guess.. Anyways, most of the time I say see it for yourself since all our tastes are not the same, and I will do so with this one as well. Maybe it's from the long day that I have had that I felt that this movie was sleepy.. or I was just sleepy.. Maybe I should watch it again.. but I am certain I will come to the same conclusion... Boring and disappoiniting..
  • 76Majikat
    January 22, 2009
    76Majikat
    Utterly boring! It shows no sign of excitement until more than half way through. The best part of the film is definitely near the end.
  • whosinthenews
    March 20, 2010
    whosinthenews
    I'm sure there are other films that have wasted their great casts as miserably as this, I just can't think of any right now. Clive Owen's character is stoic to the point of mannequin-ism, Malcolm McDowell shows up for five seconds and rapes Jonathan Meyers (who dies in the first ... read more45 min) and Charlotte Rumpling isn't even playing British royalty!
    If there's any statement in this film at all it's the glaring black hole that is the total and utter lack of direction. It seems Mike Hodges' "wander until it looks right" technique wasn't so groundbreaking after all...shame really.
  • mattsigur1
    July 5, 2008
    mattsigur1
    The film left with unanswered questions. And the fact that I could multi-task while watching wasn't a good indicator.
    Nonetheless, Owen is good, and watching this I can tell why people wanted him as Bond - he looks damn good in a suit.
    But the subject of rape doesn't constitute... read more a four-star review - it just makes things gritty.
    There are some good scenes, but not enough.
  • kingmob6
    January 21, 2012
    kingmob6
    This one was a re-watch via a random number generator, and I was happy to see Clive Owen in such a slow, methodically paced film, slowly feeling his way back into the London underworld that he'd abandoned years earlier, desperate for answers about why his younger brother took his... read more own life.

    Good film, though the ambiguous ending to the film may not be for everyone.

    Worth a rental at the very least.
  • Shaggy89
    May 3, 2010
    Shaggy89
    Lacks direction; Clive Owen tries his best but it just wasn't good. Rhys-Meyers gets raped, and since I don't like him as an actor, thought that was funny..
  • bastet05
    December 28, 2008
    bastet05
    This movie is very dark noir, and in that, it suffers. It desperately needed a soundtrack, and Clive Owen's voiceover was difficult to hear at times even sans that. Those looking for an action movie, as Owen normally stars in, will be sorely disappointed. This movie mostly con... read morecentrates on a much un-covered film subject: male rape, but the context is hard to pay attention to. And what was the idea of casting Charlotte Ramping as Owen's former lover? The woman is 16 years his elder and her being 62 years old REALLY shows it. This is considered a thriller, but I don't see how. I wouldn't really recc'd this unless you happened to enjoy The Limey.
  • jes25924
    June 30, 2008
    jes25924
    This would have been a great mystery film if it weren't a revenge film. Theres alot of great atmosphere, tension, and rhythm to the first half of the film, which increases but never really boils over. What connects these characters is power, wanting ...(read more)...(read more)to... read more be rid of it, loathing it, courting it, defending it trying to manufacture it, and in the end everyone seems only sinking deeper into troubles. Some good editing, music, performances, and atmosphere, but if your not careful the story can slick it's way by without leaving an impact.
  • bSpiker
    March 24, 2008
    bSpiker
    I was more than a little disappointed with this film. Clive Owen isn't really in this film that much and there's no action. I found little backstory behind any of the characters too, I must've missed something. I did think it was an interesting story though, I just wished ther... read moree would've been more of a reason to want to visit this movie again. I expected either alot of action or a big bang of an ending. What you do see of Owen was great, but being that I was expecting a kick ass revenge/vigilante film, I can't help but rate this movie below average.
  • Mello44
    February 8, 2008
    Mello44
    Low marks in the action department~still I was interested and stay with it,glad I did. The ending will knock you flat.

View All I'll Sleep When I'm Dead Reviews

Critic Reviews

Eric Harrison
July 30, 2004
Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle

Matching the movie's restrained style, Owen is extraordinarily still, and all the more riveting because of it. Full Review

Rex Reed
July 29, 2004
Rex Reed, New York Observer

A tight, well-made, evocative piece of filmmaking for true connoisseurs of gangster movies that is unnerving, yet completely sure of every step it takes. Full Review

Jeff Strickler
July 23, 2004
Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune

This is Owen's picture. He broods, he seethes, he plots. Sometimes he even speaks, but it's not necessary. One glance from Will is enough to send chills down anyone's spine. Full Review

Gary Dowell
July 22, 2004
Gary Dowell, Dallas Morning News

Unfortunately, the characters and their motivations are so poorly defined that the story seems vague and incomplete. Full Review

Tom Long
July 16, 2004
Tom Long, Detroit News

Dead could have used a direct blast of energy at some point instead of the trickle it finally gets. This film's already asleep.

Terry Lawson
July 16, 2004
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press

Stylish as it may be, it's as though someone has already remade Get Carter badly and Hodges is set on showing how it should have been done. Full Review

Robert Denerstein
July 16, 2004
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News

Hodges (Get Carter, Croupier) delivers another splendidly stylish thriller that's full of dark atmosphere and discordant notes.

Lisa Kennedy
July 16, 2004
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

The pleasures that even a brutal, intelligent thriller should deliver are in short supply. Full Review

Richard Roeper
July 12, 2004
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

Thumbs way up ... Full Review

Carla Meyer
July 9, 2004
Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle

Mood and portent can conceal any number of flaws in movies about the thug life. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Insidious
    Insidious (100%)
  • Croupier
    Croupier (100%)
  • The Limey
    The Limey (100%)
  • Autumn
    Autumn (0%)

More Movies like I'll Sleep When I'm Dead

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

I'll Sleep When I... : Watch Free on TV

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead Trivia

  • Who am I: "I'll sleep when i'm dead" I keep saying, trying to get Closer to my Identity and my Inside Man as I Walk on By to GosfordPark. some times my train gets Derailed in Sin City. I just Hire a car home.  Answer »
  • Who played in " I'll Sleep when I'm dead" and try to kill Matt Damon in " The Bourne Identity"  Answer »
  • This British actor has starred in the following films: Gosford Park I'll Sleep When I'm Dead Beyond Borders Closer Derailed Who is he?  Answer »
  • who plays the main character in "I'll Sleep when I'm Dead"?  Answer »
More I'll Sleep When I'm Dead Trivia

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for I'll Sleep When I'm Dead. Want to create one?

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add I'll Sleep When I'm Dead to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?