Blu-ray Release Date: April 17, 2018
Director: Roger Donaldson
MPAA Rating: NR
Runtime: 107 Minutes
Purchase: Amazon
Adapted from the C. K. Stead novel, Smith’s Dream, Roger Donaldson’s 1977 political action thriller, Sleeping Dogs, proved to be the most ambitious film ever shot in New Zealand at the time and was the first feature-length movie shot on 35mm in the country. Providing Sam Neill his first starring role, this Kiwi classic is now on Blu-ray from Arrow Academy.
Neill stars as Smith, a man who yearns for a simpler life after separating from his wife and heading to a more rural area to find a new home. He rents a small cottage nestled by itself on a small island, befriends a dog, trades his car for a boat, and settles into a new life of solitude. Unfortunately, he can’t escape the political strife that is brewing in New Zealand when he gets framed for being an anti-fascist revolutionary and must run for his life as the government hunts him down.
Though it’s one of his earliest roles, Neill takes a commanding lead, bringing the intensity and odd brand of humor he’ll later be known for in films like In The Mouth of Madness. Aiding him on this intense game of cat and mouse is his wife’s new boyfriend and member of the guerilla group Smith is mistaken for being a part of, Bullen, played by Ian Mune. Mune nails the smarmy-douche role, which creates an interesting dynamic between the two characters, who are the picture-perfect definition of frienemies.
As protests turn violent and the upheaval reaches a boiling point, the government ends up bringing in the U.S. military for some reason, which is led by Warren Oates playing Col. Willoughby, a hothead who ends up taking refuge in the very motel that Smith is hiding out in, resulting in an epic shootout sequence.
The lengths to which the government goes through to catch Smith are incredible – at one point sending fleets of choppers after him and later literally bombing him with jets. Having not read the novel, I’m unsure if this was added for the film, and although it seems like a bit overkill, it did make for some exciting action sequences to witness Sam Neill dashing through the forest as choppers and jets attempt to blow the shit out of him.
Included on the Blu-ray are two making-of features, one created during the production of the film in 1977 and one made in 2004. Both are worth a watch, with the later one featuring Sam Neill and Ian Mune heading back to the town where the film was shot and reminiscing about the production. Also included is a commentary track featuring Roger Donaldson, Sam Neill, and Ian Mune, which is excellent and worth a listen.
The transfer looks decent for not having any restoration done to the film, and, like most Arrow releases, the packaging is great, featuring a reversible cover with one side being a new, original cover and the other being the original theatrical cover with a 31-page booklet featuring production notes and stills.
I was a bit ‘meh’ on the film itself, and the release is not the most feature-packed Arrow release to come out; yet the presentation is good and is still worth a light recommend.
