{image1}In these days of remakes and rehashes, English director Mike Hodges ("Croupier," "Flash Gordon") riffs on one of his most popular works in his latest film, "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead."
In 1971's "Get Carter," Michael Caine plays a gangster who looks into his brother's death because he's sure it's not an accident. Then, he wants revenge on the man responsible.
In "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead," Clive Owen ("The Bourne Identity," "Gosford Park") plays Will, a former hard man who returns to find his brother has committed suicide. Or has he? Will smells a rat and investigates, discovering that there was more to the story. Then, he wants revenge on the man responsible.
Hmmm.
Will has given up the gangster life for a quieter existence out in the country, where nobody knows his name. He's mourning a life ill spent.
Meanwhile, his brother Davey (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, "Bend It Like Beckham") has become a small-time drug pusher among the young nouveau hipster riche. For some reason, never explained, he's fallen foul of a group of well-dressed thugs, led by Malcolm McDowell, who is much more believable as menacing guy than as loafer-wearing, sweater-donning ballet company director.
If Will finds the guilty party, can he stop himself from returning to his old, violent ways or will rage overtake him?
Charlotte Rampling also co-stars as Helen, Will's former girlfriend. Poor Charlotte, such a presence on the screen, yet here so thoroughly disposable, through no fault of her own.
Littered with hackneyed tough guy dialogue, "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" -- written by Trevor Preston -- is a caricature of "Get Carter," at best. The story plods along and we keep waiting for some action, of which there is very little, or at least some deeper philosophical point (that never arrives, either).
Some beautiful shots, underlying tension and some powerful on-screen personalities (McDowell and Rampling, mostly) mean that we're not entirely bored for 90 minutes. But that's hardly enough, is it?
"I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" is out now on DVD.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
