Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 2, 2023

Mike Hodges' "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" (2003) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment. The supplemental features on the release include archival audio commentary recorded by Mike Hodges and screenwriter Trevor Preston; two deleted scenes; archival documentary; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

A lot in I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead just does not work as it should, which is surprising, to say the least, because it was shot by a very good director and unites several very good actors. At best, I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead offers a bit of a fine neo-noirish atmosphere, but this is not enough to declare that it is a fine film.

In a dark alley somewhere in south London, a small-time pusher named Davey (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is cornered by a couple of properly dressed criminals. They rough him up and then the eldest one, an incredibly vicious character named Boad (Malcolm MacDowell), sodomizes him. A few hours later, in his apartment, the pusher slashes his wrists and dies in a bathtub.

Out of the blue, the pusher’s brother, Will (Clive Owen), once a big-time gangster who has left the crime scene to live in a van somewhere in the boonies, reappears in the city and reconnects with his closest friend, Mickser (Jamie Foreman). After he learns about the passing of his brother from Mickser, who like everyone else has accepted that the cause of death was suicide because it is in the official medical report, Will seeks a second opinion and gets the truth from a veteran criminologist. Shortly after, partially assisted by Mickser, Will reenters the underworld and begins gathering information that can lead him to Boad. As he gets closer to him, Will also decides to reconnect with his former girlfriend, Helen (Charlotte Rampling), who has tried to rebuild her life after his departure.

I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, Mike Hodges’ final feature film, is a misfire that easily could and should have been avoided because it is an underdeveloped film. To be clear, it does have a proper resolution, but it does not have proper character arcs, relationships, and ultimately a crystal-clear idea of what type of film it wants to be. A straightforward British crime film? It does things that suggest a different ambition but the blueprint that was needed to make a multi-layered, more complex film was apparently unavailable. As a result, very large chunks of I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead look like testing sessions where Hodges and cast members are experimenting with ideas, moods, and tones that could be right for it.

All of these testing sessions are done in slow motion, too. Why? Because it appears that at least one of the ambitions of I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead was to deliver a nuanced character study of Owen’s retired gangster and his relationship with a city that is reluctant to let him reset his life, which would have been wrapped in a heavy neo-noirish atmosphere. Unfortunately, while some of these testing sessions produce a fine neo-noirish atmosphere, the quality material for the character study is absent.

The other very frustrating aspect of I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead is its unwillingness to reveal to the viewer the exact nature of key relationships. Who is the real man MacDowell plays? Only a disgruntled criminal? A highly intelligent pervert who has fooled everyone that he is an ambitious gangster? A badly hurt homosexual/bisexual man who has gone on the warpath? And why is Rampling’s character willing to consider redirecting her life one more time? Is it because she is still in love with Owen’s gangster, or is it because she recognizes the new man he has tried to become and thinks that together they deserve a second chance? I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead is hesitant to provide concrete answers without having a good reason to justify its decision.

Whether Hodges wanted the viewer to link I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead to Get Carter, undoubtedly his greatest film, is unclear, but even a most casual comparison is unavoidable. There are just too many thematic similarities between them. Sadly, the gap in quality between these films is humongous.

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, I'll Sleep When I'm Dead arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment.

The release is sourced from an older master that was supplied by Paramount Pictures. However, even though the film can and should look fresher, on my system its visuals usually looked good or very good. To be honest, I was a bit surprised by the overall quality of the presentation because there is plenty of darker footage where I expected different ranges of nuances to struggle. But they did not. I think that with some minor encoding optimizations the entire film can look very solid on Blu-ray. (Screencapture #21 comes from one area where additional encoding optimizations could be beneficial). Still, delineation, clarity, and depth are very pleasing, while image stability is great. Color balance is very convincing. There is a bit of black crush that pops up here and there, but I did not think that it was distracting. There are no troubling surface imperfections to report. All in all, a brand new 2K or 4K master will certainly produce more convincing visuals, but the current master is suitable for a nice presentation of the film. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the entire film with the 5.1 track. I thought that it was outstanding, and to be honest, I do not see how its quality could be substantially improved. There are some very fine sound effects that do particular things to enhance the desired noirish atmosphere, so I do not think that the dynamic contrasts can be superior. Clarity, sharpness, and stability are outstanding.

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage U.S. trailer for I'll Sleep When I'm Dead. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Two Deleted Scenes - presented here two deleted scenes, one of which can be viewed with an optional commentary by Mike Hodges and screenwriter Trevor Preston. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Scene One - this scene can be seen with an optional audio commentary. (3 min).
  2. Scene Two (1 min).

• Mike Hodges and "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" - this archival documentary examines the production and some of the themes of Mike Hodges's final feature film. Included in it are clips from interviews with the director and several cast members. In English, not subtitled. (27 min).

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by Mike Hodges and screenwriter Trevor Preston. The two commentators discuss in great detail how the original idea for I'll Sleep When I'm Dead materialized and evolved, the evolution of the characterizations and London's important role in the film, the darkness that permeates the film, etc.

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It makes perfect sense that a character with a dark past like Will would struggle greatly if he has chosen to reset his life alone and away from his native environment, which is south London's underworld. But Mike Hodges attempts to convince that Will's struggle has some deeper intellectual meaning and badly mishandles his story. Does Will's struggle have a deeper intellectual meaning? I could not tell because there is too much in I'll Sleep When I'm Dead that remains unclear. Via Vision Entertainment's Blu-ray release is sourced from an older but fine organic master that was supplied by Paramount Pictures. RECOMMENDED only to fans of the film.