Light Sleeper

"He was a good man in a deadly business. She was his only way out."

1992 1h 43m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 227

DramaCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

John LeTour is a recovering drug user who suffers insomnia and still deals to a high-end New York clientele, even though he’s trying to move on from the business. John’s professional midlife crisis becomes something more acute — and dangerous — when he re-encounters an old flame while a string of seemingly drug-related murders rocks the city.

“He was a good man in a deadly business. She was his only way out.”

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Cast

Willem Dafoe
John LeTour
Susan Sarandon
Ann
Dana Delany
Marianne Jost
David Clennon
Robert
Mary Beth Hurt
Teresa Aranow
Victor Garber
Tis Brooke
Jane Adams
Randi Jost
Sam Rockwell
Jealous

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Paul Schrader
Writers: Paul Schrader
Languages: Hebrew, German, Italian, English, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 21% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

34 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 5 languages: Hebrew, German, Italian, English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Paul Schrader, shot by Edward Lachman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Michael Been. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kristina Boden shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Willem Dafoe and Susan Sarandon and Dana Delany carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "He was a good man in a deadly business. She was his only way out.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Paul Schrader directs. Edward Lachman behind the camera. Michael Been scores. Kristina Boden cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Hebrew, German, Italian, English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 21% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
234 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 5 languages: Hebrew, German, Italian, English, Spanish.
4Directed by Paul Schrader, shot by Edward Lachman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Michael Been. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Kristina Boden shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Willem Dafoe and Susan Sarandon and Dana Delany carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "He was a good man in a deadly business. She was his only way out.".
9IMDB entry: tt0102307 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Edward Lachman
Original score: Michael Been
Editing: Kristina Boden
Production design: Richard Hornung
Costume design: Richard Hornung
Makeup / hair: Anthony Sorrentino
Runtime: 103 min · 1h 43m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $5,000,000
Box office: $1,055,987
Return: 21% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Light Sleeper (1992)

Also by

Paul Schrader

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-04-06
★ 7/10
Set amongst the high-end drug using fraternity of New York, posh pusher "LeTour" works for "Ann" (Susan Sarandon) and her sidekick "Robert" (David Clennon) seeing to the needs of the rich and decadent. With discretion the key to his success, he makes a decent enough living pandering to their whims - but he has precious little time for his own life. The boat is soon rocked when "Ann" indicates that she may want to jump ship and focus entirely on her legitimate cosmetics business. "LeTour" finds his nose a bit of of joint when he discovers that "Robert" is in on the plan, but he isn't! A change for him might be in order, so he seeks the advice of glorified crystal-ball merchant "Teresa" (Mary Beth Hurt) and that leads to an accidental reunion with his ex "Marianne" (Dana Delany). She's pleased enough to see him, and he'd rekindle things in an heartbeat, but she's a reformed user and he was her supplier. Her brain equates her past with him, and she has no wish to revisit that! With quite a few balls up in the air, "LeTour" has do some serious thinking about his future. Sarandon doesn't really feature enough here for me, which is a shame because when she shares a screen with an on-form Dafoe, the film works well. She's a woman in a man's world; duplicitous, shrewd and ruthless and his persona makes for an excellent extension of her greed and ambition. Dafoe carries that character well with a quick-mouthedness that rings a little true as he navigates a world of the pimped and the procured. There's a bit of humour here, too, and as the will they/won't they romance gathers pace it compliments the little bit of intrigue that creeps into the last half hour and works well. It's not a great film, no, but I did find it flew by and is worth a watch if you ever wonder what ought to have happened to "Crockett" and "Tubbs".

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