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

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
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 May 30, 2025

Mike Hodges' "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" (2003) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. 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-A "locked".

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 McDowell), 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 McDowell 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 its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, I'll Sleep When I'm Dead arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

A couple of years ago, we reviewed this Australian release of I'll Sleep When I'm Dead, produced by local label Imprint Films. I thought that it offered a good presentation of the film. However, it was easy to tell that it was sourced from an older master and ideally the film could have looked fresher. This new release from Kino Lorber is sourced from a brand new 4K master struck from the original camera negative and finalized at Paramount. Unsurprisingly, it gives the entire film the fresh appearance I thought it could have had. It offers some improvements in terms of delineation and depth, but even the most significant ones tend to be rather modest. However, there are additional improvements in the area of color reproduction, where different primaries and supporting nuances now look healthier and more attractive as well, and together they strengthen the dynamic range of the visuals. As a result, the fresher appearance with the more convincing dynamic range of the visuals makes the entire film look more attractive. On my system, while comparing the new and older presentations of the film, this upgrade was very easy to recognize and appreciate. There are no traces of any problematic digital corrections. Image stability is outstanding. The entire film looks immaculate as well. In summary, the folks at Paramount have delivered yet another outstanding new 4K master to Kino Lorber, which is to be credited for this very convincing Blu-ray release of Mike Hodges' film. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

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 DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The 5.1 track is the one that I have used in the past to view the film with. I once again used it to revisit the film. Clarity, sharpness, and stability are outstanding. The film has a very interesting sound design that uses silence and particular effects to create and maintain a distinct noirish atmosphere, but do not expect a great deal of dynamic intensity, even during the action material. There are different, often quite subtle, dynamic contrasts that are responsible for this atmosphere.

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

• 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.

• 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).

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

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. Kino Lorber's Blu-ray release introduces an excellent new 4K makeover of the film, recently prepared at Paramount. RECOMMENDED only to fans of the film.