Sleeping Dogs (1997 film)
| Sleeping Dogs | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Michael Bafaro |
| Written by | Chris Hyde |
| Produced by | Suzanne Daley Michelle Gahagan Lloyd A. Simandl Deborah Thompson |
| Starring | Scott McNeil C. Thomas Howell Kiara Hunter Heather Hanson |
| Cinematography | David Pelletier |
| Edited by | Richard Benwick Derek A Whelan |
| Music by | Peter Allen |
| Distributed by | North American Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 96 minutes |
| Countries | Canada Czech Republic Germany |
| Language | English |
Sleeping Dogs (also known as Deviants and Mission: LA 2029)[1][2] is a 1997 Canadian sci-fi action film directed by Michael Bafaro.
Plot
[edit]A jewel thief in 2020s Los Angeles (Scott McNeil) tries to save a spaceship crew from the emerald smuggling criminals who are holding them captive.[3][4]
Cast
[edit]- Scott McNeil as Harry Maxwell
- C. Thomas Howell as Sanchez Boon
- Heather Hanson as Pandora Grimes
- Kiara Hunter as Zee 4R
- Richard Toth as Wallace
- Angela Madden as Stocker
- Stephen Fisher as Morton
- Sean Fuller as Sweeney
- Paul Jarrett as Willy Boy Pruitt
- Gregory Linington as Brock
- Christopher Clarke as Grogan
- Julius Krajewski as Samson
- Seth Markel as Crenshaw
- Michael Rogers as Haverty
- Darren Dalton as Dexter
- Jaroslav Peterka as Raoul
- Pavel Kříž as Alexandrov
- Dave Ulrich as Cole
- Shannon McCormick as Tippit
- Karel Vávrovec as Carlos
- Miroslav Lhotka as Hugo
Background
[edit]It was a Czech Republic co-production, with filming taking place in Czech studios. It is the only film to feature Australian-Canadian actor Scott McNeil in a leading role. McNeil is known for his extensive voice acting career, and at the time was voicing Piccolo in the Saban dub of Dragon Ball Z.
Release and reception
[edit]It was released direct-to-video in North America, Europe and Australia.[5]
Robert Firsching of AllMovie gave the film two stars, writing "Set in the year 2029 for no apparent reason, this Canadian-Czech co-production literally consists of almost nothing but a steady barrage of gunfire and explosions. Reducing its genre (sci-fi/action) to nothing but the so-called 'good parts,' Sleeping Dogs (1997) emerges as a movie that looks like it was filmed in shorthand. It's a paint-by-numbers effort with very little to either praise or criticize; it's just there, although that's no reason for anyone to feel compelled to watch it."[6] He also claimed that, "As the ludicrously named Sanchez Boon, C. Thomas Howell prances around and prissily quotes literature like a bearded Riddler from a particularly bad episode of the old Batman TV series. Howell's ridiculous performance is the sole reason that even those viewers who cherish bad movies would want to watch this."[6]
TV Guide gave Sleeping Dogs a mixed negative review, labelling it as having "looney-tune characters, stale dialogue and the unmistakable whiff of cheesy camp."[7] They claimed that, "nothing about this futuristic sci-fi adventure is exceptional or unexpected, except the extensive exposition involving gems replacing cash as currency."[7]
References
[edit]- ^ "Progrès-dimanche, 13 juin 1999, Cahier 5". numerique.banq.qc.ca.
- ^ "Valeur DC par défaut de la configuration". ouvoir.ca.
- ^ "Sleeping Dogs" – via www.rottentomatoes.com.
- ^ "Sleeping Dogs - Michael Bafaro (1998) - SciFi-Movies". Archived from the original on 24 August 2021.
- ^ Classification, Australian (August 30, 2019). "SLEEPING DOGS". www.classification.gov.au.
- ^ a b "Sleeping Dogs (1998) - Michael Bafaro | Review | AllMovie" – via www.allmovie.com.
- ^ a b "Sleeping Dogs". TVGuide.com.
External links
[edit]| Authority control databases: National |
|---|
- 1997 films
- 1990s science fiction action films
- 1997 action films
- Canadian science fiction action films
- English-language Canadian films
- Films set in Los Angeles
- Films set in 2029
- 1990s English-language films
- 1990s Canadian films
- Films scored by Peter Allen (composer)
- 1997 science fiction films
- English-language science fiction action films