Sleeping Dogs

As far as I'm aware, Sam Neill's first film - and what a start!

Starring a Kiwi, directed by a Kiwi and packed to the gunwales with Kiwi talent, this is definitely no Hollywood hyperbole extravaganza.Its sole concession to the 'star power' syndrome is the presence of Warren Oates ("Dillinger") as an armed subversive type (I didn't dare to use the dreaded 'T' word!).

The film is under the very capable guidance of the now-also-well-known Roger Donaldson, who was also responsible for another powerful home-grown effort, "Smash Palace". Impressionable youngsters like Peter Jackson may have seen this and decided their futures.

Like Jackson's LOTR trilogy, "Sleeping Dogs" is filmed on location in New Zealand. As such, the sets and scenery give a fair idea of life in provincial and metropolitan NZ in the mid-70's (but there's no stunning vistas of the majestic Southern Alps here, I'm afraid).

"Sleeping Dogs" is an adaptation of a story by New Zealand author C.K.Stead and pits an increasingly autocratic government of the near-future against a group of resistance fighters. Smith (Neill), very recently separated from a cheating wife, pretty much accidentally and quite reluctantly, gets involved with this group.

One scene in the movie was (and still is) something of a talking point here in NZ because it seemed, in hindsight, so chillingly prescient - life imitating art.

In the scene, a large group of protesters have clashed violently with unyielding, merciless, baton-wielding riot police; blood is flowing, injures are rife.

Some five years after the film had been released, in 1981, the then-internationally-banned Springbok rugby team from South Africa were allowed to tour here, despite clamorous local and global opposition.

New Zealand experienced the horrors and scarring of civil division. Wherever the Springboks played and also in the capital, Wellington, violence erupted. And it seemed to many of us at the time that the scenes that Donaldson had shot many years ago were now being replayed almost nightly on the news. Spooky.

This film is a chilling view of how New Zealand could be if ruled by a totalitarian oppressive Government, like so many other countries around the world. It focuses primarily on one character named Smith (played by the now famous Sam Neil). The direction is excellect thanks to the talents of Roger Donaldson (Dantes Peak). But if you read those names and expect a big budget, action-packed, thriller your out of luck, it was made back in 1977 when they were starving artists. This may not appeal to those unfamiliar with New Zealand, but its worth a look if you like well scripted well acted emotional movies

A history-making New Zealand production (it was the first to obtain general release in the U.S.), "Sleeping Dogs" is a good, engaging story, based on a novel by Christian K. Stead. It takes place during a tumultuous time in NZ's history, when people were actively rebelling against the government. Sam Neill, in his starring debut, plays Smith, an apolitical man estranged from his family, who does NOT want to get involved. He'd rather live in seclusion on an off-shore island, but people and circumstances keep drawing him into the fray.

Neill is typically solid as a rock, and you can understand his characters' frustration. He's surrounded by good Kiwi actors, including Ian Mune (who also co-wrote the screenplay) as the passionate Bullen, Nevan Rowe as Smiths' activist wife Gloria, Ian Watkin (you may remember him as Uncle Les in Peter Jacksons' "Braindead") as helpful bar owner Dudley, and Clyde Scott as government man Jesperson. Jesperson wants Smith to confess to being a revolutionary in exchange for better treatment, but Smith will have none of that.

Of course, part of the hook of the story is watching Smith resist the inevitable, and wondering if or when he will give in.

Gorgeous NZ scenery, an effective music score, and some good action scenes add to the overall entertainment value. Naturally, many American viewers may be drawn to this upon seeing that the iconic Warren Oates has a "guest star" role. It's a reasonably interesting role that benefits from his unique presence.

This also announced the arrival of filmmaker Roger Donaldson in a big way. In the 80s, he moved to Hollywood when he turned out features like "The Bounty", "No Way Out", "Species", and "Dante's Peak". (His peer Geoff Murphy is credited with special FX; Murphy himself has directed such movies as "Utu", "The Quiet Earth", "Young Guns II", and "Under Siege 2: Dark Territory".)

Overall, a compelling tale well told, that keeps the viewer attentive until its final scenes.

Eight out of 10.

I remember trying to see this film when I was 12 or 13 but the friend who bought the tickets ending up buying tickets for The Magic Roundabout and the Blue Cat. What a disappointment at the time.

Seeing it for the first time subsequently, the optimum word is prescient. Donaldson showed scenes that were fresh and on a scale never scene in NZ cinema before. Skyhawks dropping bombs on the terrorists (Mune and Neill). "Spooky" is the word most used by those who have commented in this forum.

Having met Carl Stead last year in London, I was impressed by his philosophy regarding the films success in NZ at the time. Comprimises were made to the author's chagrin but in the end the story fulfilled its cinematic requirements. Donaldson along with Geoff Murphy were pioneers of a new revolution in film-making for New Zealand.

The first NZ film I had seen that opened up the dark under belly of an immature and isolated nation in troubled times.

The movie is dated now but the impact in context of the time it was made is undeniable.

Sam Neill stars, in his 2nd feature film, as Smith, a man who leaves his family when his wife takes up with another man, and moves to an island where he is the only resident. While he's on the island, political turmoil in New Zealand worsens and a form of martial law is declared. Smith is framed as a terrorist and arrested. Facing certain execution, he escapes and goes on the run, eventually hooking up with Bullen (Ian Mune), the man who had stolen his wife. This is the first feature made in New Zealand that received international distribution, and it's readily apparent why. Neill is a magnetic screen presence, and the film has the ramshackle appeal of the best small action films of the 70's. Warren Oates even appears in a small role as a US army officer.